The Red Spade
by Medusa Q
Summary: A twisted Vocaloid adaption of 'Little Red Riding Hood' - She headed to the woods to look for her grandmother, but what she didn't expect was to fall in love with the one who had almost eaten her up. - Len/Rin, Werewolf!Len.
1. Girl in the woods

This is my first submission here ^^ I hope you'll all enjoy this Vocaloid adaption of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Just a few things to share before I begin though... my grammar and vocabulary is limited so I hope you guys wouldn't mind if I make a few mistakes here and there. I'll try to minimize errors if I can...

Disclaimer: Vocaloid isn't my property.

EDIT/ I didn't know that there was an option to enable or disable anonymous reviews O_O Sorry guys, anonymous reviews are now enabled!

EDIT2/ Spotted and fixed a contradictory statement in the passage.

EDIT3/ I removed the weekly update from the summary because I don't really want to guarantee something I may not be able to do. I have tons of unfinished homework so I may not be able to update for some weeks. Therefore, updates will be done randomly. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming, I do check my mail!

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 1: The girl in the woods**

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Fairytales and myths were very common in this village.

One of them, according to one of the villagers, involved the mysterious and spooky disappearance of several kind-hearted young and beautiful maidens after they had been sent into the woods. There had been no traces and clues as to where they might have gone to, and nobody in the village had even seen them after the incident.

There were vague and peculiar explanations following the disappearances of the young maidens in the village. Some said that the village chief had sacrificed them to a demon lord of some sort living deep in the woods where nobody could find him. Others had claimed that the maidens must have been kidnapped by pirates on their way home, or they have decided to leave the village in pursuit of their dreams.

Kagamine Rin thought that all of the myths and tales heard in this village were nonsense created by people who wanted to wreck havoc by spreading gibberish and false tales to everyone.

She knew that there were _no_ such things as pirates wandering in the woods when this village was so poor. It didn't make sense for the pirates to target one of the poorest villages in this island. Also, how the heck would demons even exist when there are already no such things as ghosts, or any supernatural beings for goodness sake?

Call it denial if you may, but Kagamine Rin _chose_ not to believe in such things because she _didn't_ want to scare herself to death.

Soft emerald eyes met crimson ones when Kagamine Rin lifted up her head from the table to look at whoever had slammed the wooden door open. An angry scowl replaced the tired frown on her pale and lifeless face when she noticed that the wooden door leading outside the village was halfway destroyed by the brutality of the brunette.

The wooden door creaked back and forth, looking as though it may collapse any minute now. Bits and pieces of wood from the wooden door itself dropped casually onto the rough and dark floorboard, contributing to all of the dusts that had conveniently gathered there after a month's break from cleaning the house.

"What the heck?" Meiko cursed, turning to look at how the door was swaying hopelessly to and fro.

A drip of water made its way down from the wooden ceiling. It hit the brunette's left bare arm, causing said woman to swear and curse, each one getting worse after another. Said brunette averted her gaze from the door and tilted her head to look at the wooden ceiling immediately, her face distorted in a flurry of emotions that Kagamine Rin was unable to comprehend.

Rin observed with her half-lidded eyes at how the floorboards below the brunette seemed to creak and tremble with every step she took. It almost seemed like the floorboards below would give way any moment now… they were practically living in an abandoned rotten house!

The brunette pulled one of the stools out from under the table, and sat swiftly on it. There were a few items, Kagamine Rin noticed, that the brunette was carrying. One of them appeared to be a dagger of some sort… and the other was a basket that apparently looked as if it didn't have anything inside.

"What are those?" Rin asked as Meiko proceeded to place those items on top of the table carefully. It was rare to see her acting so gently. Usually she'd just throw the items on top of the table with a swing of her arm, even if the items were precious rations or maybe gifts from the other villagers.

The items she had been holding must have been very precious, Rin noted mentally in her mind.

"Those?" Meiko shot Rin a blank look. "They're going to be_ very_ useful to the both of us in the future."

"I asked _what_ they were, not _whom_ they were for," Rin retorted snappishly, shooting Meiko a venomous glare that screamed of fury and death.

Kagamine Rin was normally cheerful, calm and collected. She wouldn't lash out on random people unless there was an acceptable reason for her to, but somehow, she just didn't feel like being herself today. Truth be told, she was seriously sick and tired of people treating her like a toddler or maybe an innocent child, hiding things from her intentionally.

Sakine Meiko was one of the women treating her as such. Rin had asked her about their financial condition multiple times in the past, and all she got for an answer was an 'hm' or a 'don't worry, kid'. It was always these vague answers that had unnerved her because she didn't like being kept in the dark, and even if the truth was harsh, she just wanted the adults to tell it straight in her face.

Why couldn't the adults just treat her as one of them? She wanted to help, seriously, but she couldn't… not when those selfish adults refused to reveal anything to her. It made her feel so _helpless_, so left out, and not to mention lonely.

"Thinking of something?" Meiko's voice brought Rin back into reality. Her eyebrows were arched, and her crimson eyes were carefully scrutinizing Rin's expression.

"Nothing in particular." Rin pouted her cherry colored lips in annoyance.

"I've always thought of you as the type who wouldn't sulk or pout at anything," Meiko stated blankly, folding her arms neatly across her chest and leaning forward. "I guess I was wrong, huh."

"Don't change the topic, idiot." Rin tore her gaze from the brunette, finding her crimson eyes that had been clouded in amusement and humor a bit too intense for her to look at.

"There wasn't a topic to begin with in the first place," came the stiff reply from the brunette. With a sad frown, she leaned back and stretched her arms out on the table.

"Oh yeah? You haven't told me what these items are for!" Rin scoffed, running a slim and pale hand down her dirty blonde hair.

"Fine, fine," Meiko replied hesitantly, grabbing the dagger on the table and wrapping her fingers around the hilt. "This is for self-defense purposes. This is extremely helpful when you are in a situation whereby somebody is going to threaten your life. All you have to do is to stab the aggressive attacker multiple times."

Rin grimaced at the brunette's choice of words. The tone of her voice, coupled with the serious expression on her face, made it sound like she was going to commit arson, murder or the like. There was, after all, no other reason for the brunette to bring a dagger along with her since there wasn't a single soul in the village who would threaten her life. Most people, Rin remembered, got along well with her because she was rather friendly and sociable.

Kagamine Rin was so caught up in her thought… she didn't even notice that she had slipped her tongue and mumbled whatever she had been thinking in her head in one swift go.

"I'm not going to kill anyone. Hell, Rin," Meiko snapped irritably, "Where did you get those thoughts from? Do I look like the genocidal, suicidal mass-murdering psychopaths you see or hear in those fairytales?"

Rin could feel the heat gathering in her cheeks. Her face must have been as red as the rose petals since Meiko burst out laughing when she looked her way.

She immediately brought her hands up to her face and tried to cover herself with her palms. She could still feel blood rushing up to her head, and she knew that the heat wouldn't go away that fast, so it was the only way to save herself from further embarrassment.

Meiko's laughter subsided instantly when she opened her mouth to speak. "This will be very handy when one is going to the woods."

"Why would you need a _dagger_ if you're going into the woods?" Rin bluntly said, removing her hands from her face. She let her arms fall limply by her sides.

"Your grandmother is living in a cottage deep inside the woods."

An annoyed and cross expression slowly crept its way up to Rin's face. "I asked _why _you need a _dagger_, not _why_ one would _get their ass_ in there. For goodness sake, can you not listen and understand proper English—"

"— There have been tales and stories of those maidens getting kidnapped by foul demons in the woods." The brunette pursed her lips, letting her fingers slide over the rough ridges of the hilt of the dagger. "I haven't seen your Grandmother for ages now. I don't know what happened to her because she hasn't written a single letter to us ever since my last visit. This dagger here is to ensure that we'll be able to defend ourselves should a demon attack us. That way, we'll make it safely to and fro."

There was an uncomfortable silence that slid between the two of them for a good few minutes. Rin gazed at Meiko's expression, realizing that she was indeed, very _very_ serious about what she had just said. Something warm bubbled in the back of Rin's throat, and she felt like gagging. She was losing it, she knew, because her control over her emotions was slipping away slowly—

— and she ended up losing it all, breaking into bouts of laughter while her shoulders heaved up and down in sheer delight.

She clutched her stomach in pain with her left hand, tears forming on the side of her squinted eyes. She slammed the table multiple times with her right palm in joy, laughing at what the brunette had just said minutes ago. It was unbearable, really, and she was finding everything just a tad too ridiculous for her to handle.

"S-Sorry," Rin mumbled between laughters. "I-It's j-just too f-f… f-funny! Ha!"

"What's so funny?" Meiko hissed, a displeased frown forming slowly on her face. Her perfect eyebrows were arched in annoyance and, perhaps, anger.

"I d-don't b-believe _you_ would… haha…" Rin was still shaking in uncontrollable laughter. "… Believe in t-things as s-stupid as _those_… Pwwh… Hahaha!"

"Not funny, Rin. And it's not ridiculous or stupid. It's true; there are demons lurking in the woods. You just don't know when they will strike."

It took a few minutes for Rin to regain her composure. She tried to calm herself down, taking in deep breaths of air greedily from her surroundings, before she was about to open her mouth to throw more insults and not so witty comments and retorts to the brunette's absolutely stupid claim.

"So… When are you leaving for the woods?"

Meiko raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about _me_ going into the woods?"

"What?" Rin's expression was torn between disbelief and surprise.

"This dagger is for _you_, kid," Meiko mumbled, pushing the hilt of the dagger forward towards Rin. "And the basket is for you, too. Get your ass in there and check if Grandmother's all right. Make sure you pick some fruits on your way there and put them in the basket for grandma."

"But _you_ were the one who said there are demons living deep in the woods!" Rin screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Meiko's strangely calm expression. "You're going to send _me _there despite those wicked and strange rumors you hear?"

"I wasn't the one who said that there weren't such things like demons, trolls, and the like." Meiko shrugged casually.

Rin gave out a nervous chuckle, starting to regret what she had said before. "So you're sending me, a _kid_, to the woods where I may get lost and hungry and never return?"

"You'll be fine with the dagger," Meiko simply said, "Besides, I've drawn up a map for you. Just follow the route and you'll be fine, that I guarantee."

Rin could not believe what she had just heard. She kept her mouth shut, shaking her head to clear her mind of the confusion and mixed emotions she was feeling at the moment.

It was true that she didn't believe in the tales involving trolls, demons, ghosts and supernatural stuff that were circulating around the village madly. But that was only because she hadn't seen them with her own eyes, so she just shook them off as false and worthless claims made by rodents and useless freaks in the village. Also, it was better for her to _choose_ not to believe in such things because she wanted to live without fear in this village.

What good would it do to believe in such things? One would only cause fear and disturbance in their lives. No, Rin wouldn't want that.

There was, however, still room for doubt in her mind. She knew that there was this possibility of their existence, no matter how small it may be.

Despite that, she knew there was no point arguing with Meiko since she was bound to lose no matter how good or how bad her points were. She _had_ to go, even if she was reluctant to go.

Kagamine Rin grumbled and swore before heading back into her room, not sparing the brunette another glance.

She knew she should have kept her mouth shut right from the very beginning.

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The soft and shining rays from the sun made the blonde wince slightly before she squeezed her eyes shut, finding it terribly difficult for her to adjust to the brightness of the atmosphere. It was abnormally warm for an afternoon, and beads of perspiration were already starting to gather at her smooth neck and the roots of her silky hair.

Kagamine Rin took quick, long strides across the luscious green grasses, trampling casually on innocent white lilies and cat flowers on her way through. There were a few multicolored butterflies fluttering their wings gracefully in mid-air, but the blonde disregarded their existence. She swung her arm wildly when she saw any flying insects approaching her, ignoring the fact that there might be _bees_ and they might sting her since she had been the one who had been aggressive enough to provoke the bees in the first place.

With the basket in one of her hands, and a piece of paper clutched in the other, the blonde swiftly made her way through the woods, hoping to get the job done before dark.

It was strangely quiet, Rin noticed. There weren't any traces of a single animal near the area. She hadn't even heard the mewls of a stray cat or the noisy squawking of random birds in the area. All she could hear was the sound of her own hasty and quivering footsteps and her harsh gasps and breaths resonating throughout the spacious clearing.

She stopped in her tracks when she arrived at a fork, the supposedly single route splitting into two. With a low growl, she brought up the horrible paper containing what looked more like a doodle than a map. Her emerald eyes scanned swiftly through the map, trying to locate where she was.

She sighed when she realized she was already quite near from her targeted destination. There were only a few more meters before she'd arrive at her grandmother's cottage. There was something, she recalled, Meiko had instructed her to do before she reached there, though…

Oh, yes. It had something to do with picking some poisonous and random fruits for her beloved grandmother.

She took a brief look around the area, trying to look for any fruits in the area. Maybe, if she were lucky, she would find pineapples and bananas on the trees…

Which was clearly downright impossible because those fruits _didn't_ grow on trees.

Her eyes glinted all of a sudden, and her lips curled into a wry smirk when she spotted red, juicy apples lying below some of the fresh trees. She took the route on her left and trod straight to where the fruits were lying on, immediately picking them up and dumping them messily into the weaved basket on her hand. There were traces of mud stuck on the supposedly smooth and shiny surfaces of the apples, but she hadn't bothered to wipe them clean off.

She had only managed to pick up about five of them when she realized the skies above her had began to grow dark. The golden sun had already descended halfway down one of the clouds…

Kagamine Rin had to hurry because it would be nightfall soon.

She grabbed another three more apples, ignoring the ones that were lying below another tree a few meters away from where she stood, and quickly made her way to the path on her right.

"Demons and ghosts don't exist," she uttered, more like she was trying to convince herself than the others. "Just a few more meters and I'll—!"

Her face beamed with glee and delight when she caught sight of the wooden cottage behind a few bushes and vines. She decided to cut her way through instead of following the direct route leading straight to the entrance of the cottage. The rough edges of the vines around the bushes managed to cut her pale and white leg, and she winced a little, but she didn't check the wound because she was finally here, at her destination, and she was desperate to go home straight after this stupid job of hers.

The cottage was old and worn out, looking much worse than her house in the village.

There were two round windows, one on each side of the wooden door, and the glass windows were filled with dusts and sharp cracks. The door of the cottage seemed a little better than the windows because there had been no cracks or whatsoever present, but there were a few protruding rough edges. Whoever constructed this cottage must have either used the poorest and lousiest materials they could find, or they had poor and absolutely lousy craftsmanship. Rin suspected it was the former.

The door was just lying invitingly and warm in front of her. All she had to do was knock once, twice, or maybe thrice, then she'd be granted access and maybe get herself treated with one or two lovely homemade dishes. After all, grandmothers were supposed to be able to whip up traditionally good-tasting meals, hm? She was also hungry…

Speaking of which, she hadn't met her grandmother for years. The last time she saw her was when she was about six years old, so she briefly wondered how much her grandmother had changed, or how much _she_ had changed for the matter. Maybe her grandmother wouldn't even be able to recognize her now, and would pass her off as some stranger from the village.

With a frown gracing upon her lips, Kagamine Rin mustered all her courage and strode up to the wooden door. She balled her fists, conveniently wrinkling up the paper containing the map that Meiko had drawn, and knocked at the sturdy wooden surface once before she realized that the door was, in fact, _not_ locked at all.

There was a small opening, but it wasn't big enough for her to see anyone inside. With a slight soft push, the door opened, revealing the contents of the room in front of her.

Kagamine Rin widened her eyes at the sight that greeted her.

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A/N: I have already finished typing the next two chapters ^^

Dumdum... Len appears in the next chapter as... well, I'm guessing all of you should have already guessed it by now. So, stay tuned to the next chapter of Drag- No, The Red Spade!

Reviews and comments are gladly welcomed... Reviews make me happy for some reason.

So review!


	2. The Prey and the Predator

Right... This is the next chapter of the fic. There is really nothing I want to say here... *le gasp* Except for... enjoy the next chapter of this fic?

Oh right... I forgot it hasn't been a week yet. Well, a week is very close so... OwO.

EDIT/ I removed the weekly update from the summary because I don't really want to guarantee something I may not be able to do. I have tons of unfinished homework so I may not be able to update for some weeks. Therefore, updates will be done randomly. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming, I do check my mail!

Disclaimer: Refer to the first chapter please.

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 2: The Prey and the Predator**

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Kagamine Rin widened her eyes at the sight that greeted her.

The room was in a complete mess, with steel pots and knives scattered casually on the floor. Liquid was oozing out of the cabinets, and there were multiple droplets of water dripping down from the ceiling of the cottage. There were pieces of undergarments and clothes thrown messily on the floor, and they were all stained with what seemed to be a brownish thick concoction.

There were a few shelves beside the cabinet. Various torn and tattered papers were lying on top of its surface, and the books present either had their hard covers destroyed mercilessly or their contents emptied. There were a few insects crawling up the shelves slowly, and Rin cringed at the thought of what the insects actually were.

There was a poorly made bed in the corner of the room. Her eyes immediately darted to the bulge under the white sheets, wondering why her grandmother was still able to sleep so soundly when the house was in a complete and utter mess. If it had been her living here, she would have either burned it with a simple torch or destroyed it because she couldn't and wouldn't tolerate living in an area as… filthy… as _this_.

Kagamine Rin welcomed herself inside, and wrinkled her nose at the strange, musky and strong smell lingering around her. It smelt like rotten eggs and fresh blood combined… and it still didn't justify how horrible that smell was.

She cleared her throat, forcing herself to grin when she clearly felt sick and nauseous. Really, she would have whipped around and made a run for it if it weren't for the fact that she still had things to do… things like ensuring her grandmother was fine, and she still had to send Meiko's regards to her…

"Grandmother?" Rin purred, her voice as smooth as velvet and silk, but in truth was a disguise to veil up her desperation.

The _thing_ under the covers stirred for a moment, but Rin couldn't even see the face of that _thing_, so she automatically assumed that her grandmother must have flipped around to listen to the source of the voice. It didn't cross her mind that the thing under the white sheets may not be whom she was looking for… and it certainly didn't strike her as odd when the _thing_ hadn't even pulled the sheets off themselves to look at the intruder.

"Um," Rin started, her voice shaky all of a sudden, "I brought… some fruits for you. You may not remember me, but I'm Kagamine Rin, your grand-daughter."

There was a loud groan from under the bed sheets. Rin almost jumped because the noise and the… tone _didn't_ seem like it was human at all. It almost sounded like an angry animal's howl, the kind of noise they would produce before they started striking the foe. Then again, it almost wasn't possible, so Rin decided to push those thoughts back into her mind and passed it off as a mere figment of her imagination.

"Are… Are you okay?" She asked, her voice dripping with mild concern. She hadn't visited her grandmother for a long time now, but that didn't mean that she had lost all her respect for her during the period of her absence. She still cared.

The figure stirred once more, and this time, the covers slipped gently down to reveal a strange pink spotted cap worn by the _thing_ inside, followed by ruby red large eyes. The set of eyes were concentrated on Rin, and she didn't like the feeling the eyes was giving her — she felt a wave of déjà vu wash over her because the eyes looked so peculiar and a little too big for a human to have.

She wanted to voice that thought out— heck, it _was_ tempting, but she refrained from it since this was _her_ grandmother... right?

She didn't want to disrespect her elders.

"Wow!" She nervously chuckled, her body trembling slightly, "Your eyes are huge! They're really pretty!"

"All the better to see you, my dear," came the straight and short reply from the thing beneath the covers. It sounded more like a strangled cry, really, but Rin didn't care.

There was a snort that came out from that thing, and Rin didn't want to know if she still wanted to stay here to continue chatting with that thing that was supposedly her innocent and lovable, chubby little grandmother. The covers slipped down further, and she caught sight of the huge nose of the thing under the covers.

The nose was definitely strange looking. In fact, it looked like it had belonged to a canine instead of a human. Come to think of it, the skin color of the thing under the covers was pretty strange, too. It was dark gray in color, and the skin looked hairy enough to be a wolf's…

Rin gulped, swallowing the bit of saliva that had been in her mouth ever since she entered this cottage. "You have a really big nose!"

"All the better to smell you, my dear," The thing said, causing Rin's hairs to stand up immediately. She was already having Goosebumps…

A thought flashed in her mind, and she considered, for a brief moment, the possibility of this thing under the bed sheets not acting as humane as she —it? — should. For all she knew, the thing underneath the sheets may be an animal, like a canine of some sort… or maybe it could be a fox demon, a troll, a giant monster or Frankenstein—

—But that didn't work. Demons _didn't_ exist. She was supposed to believe that. Why was she abandoning her belief at this point of the time?

The covers slipped once more, and Rin could feel her whole body wobbling weakly like jelly. Her lips were already pale and trembling with horror and disbelief at what graced her sight next.

It was a set of sharp, white teeth and a mouth that clearly did not belong to any humans. A human would never, ever, in his or her whole life, have mouths that protrude out like a wolf's, or a set of teeth as sharp and shiny as a predator shark's. The _thing_, Rin noted, was also grinning at her brutally.

She watched in apprehension as the _thing_ licked its lips slowly at the sight of the blonde in the doorway. Its mouth was salivating, and its ruby red eyes looked like they were popping out of their sockets. She could see the veins in the whites of the eyeballs… it was eyeing her like she was a piece of fleshy, juicy and tasty meat for it chew on!

Kagamine Rin wanted to flee from this place right now because she knew that this _thing_ would never ever be her grandmother, but she couldn't. Her legs wouldn't move even when she told herself that she had to make a dash out of here, that she may get herself into some sort of danger if she had continued staying in here.

Her body wasn't responding to her mind. Only words popped right out of her mouth, and she didn't even know what she was saying at that very moment.

"Y-You… have… s-such big and sharp t-teeth," she muttered, ignorant of what she was going on about, "W-why is that?"

The _thing_ slowly rose out of the uncomfortable bed, the wood creaking noisily under its weight. It peeled off its pink hat and dumped it straight on the floor, and that was when Rin saw it — the sharp, white claws of the _thing _with traces of dried blood on it. It growled, kicking the bed sheets off itself in one forceful kick, and stood up slowly.

Kagamine Rin diluted her pupils, her mouth opening in an empty and silent scream. She couldn't even scream because the _thing_ was clearly not her grandmother. It had been a wolf, a stupid, hungry and bloodthirsty wolf, instead of any other harmless herbivores, like a giraffe or something!

"All the better to _eat_ you," it said, its sharp fangs shimmering and screaming of death, "my… _dear_!"

"Shit!" Rin cursed, bolting out of the accursed room as soon as she saw the wolf lunge at her. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the basket, not wanting to look back, ignorant of where she was heading to. She just kept running and running even though she heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind her.

"Where do you think you're heading to?" It growled from behind her, its voice threateningly loud and scary. Rin felt like she was going to faint because she knew her freaking life was being threatened by this monster at the very moment, and if she didn't do something about it, she would die because there was absolutely _no_ way she could outrun a _wolf_!

"Are you going to threaten my life?" Rin spoke, her voice quivering with fear. She had recalled Meiko saying something like that just now, and she had passed her one of the most important and handy items that could definitely be of use… what was it again? Ah, it was—

"I won't let you!" —a dagger.

The wolf had pounced on Rin, pinning her limbs forcefully on the rough ground. The basket fell onto the ground with a 'thud', the contents inside rolling all over the place. She felt something wet sliding down her legs at that moment, but she hadn't had to time to check out her injuries. The wolf was eyeing her with a look screaming of bloodlust, and she struggled in its grip, trying to push the thing off her just in case it decided to bite her head off.

Her hands— she had to get her hands free if she wanted to retrieve that dagger Meiko had given her just now!

"Let me go, you idiot!" She screamed, trying to kick the thing off her even though it wouldn't even budge. The thing emitted a low growl, causing Rin to shiver with fear at what it would do to her.

Its right paw suddenly slipped, giving Rin the greatest opportunity in life ever, to maim the creature in the quickest way possible. She quickly slid her right hand down her dress, feeling for the hilt of the dagger strapped on her thigh under the hem of her dress. With a shriek, she gripped the hilt, hard, and pulled it out of its position, bringing the shiny tip of the blade down to the sockets of the insane creature—

—and she missed.

The dagger was flung to the side of the route in one quick swing of the creature's strong claws. It landed a few meters away from her, but she was once again pinned to the ground, rendering her completely helpless and at the complete mercy of this creature.

Kagamine Rin clenched her teeth, feeling tears gather slowly at the side of her eyes and heat rushing to the brain rapidly. No, this wasn't what she wanted — she _didn't_ want to die, damn it! Not here, not right now. She was only fifteen! There was still a long way for her to go out and enjoy life!

The creature licked its lips hungrily at the blonde, watching with amusement lingering behind its ruby red eyes at how the human was crying and quivering with raw fear right now. It leaned down, the sharp ends of its teeth coming into contact with the pure, snowy and milky skin of the human's smooth and bare throat.

"Don't!" Rin screamed, squeezing her eyes shut in fear of witnessing her own pathetic demise on this creature's hands.

There were a few minutes of unbreakable silence at which only the harsh breathings of the blonde could be heard. The blonde had laid down rigid, afraid to move in fear of provoking the creature or injuring herself in the worst possible ways. After all, the creature still had its fangs on her neck, and one bite would sever the tendons connecting the neck to other parts of the body.

One bite, and she'd be in a mess of red. Just one bite.

However, neither the pain nor the crimson blood came oozing out of her body.

Kagamine Rin cracked one eye open to look at the creature, only to close it when she saw the threatening vein popping out of the creature's head. It was angry, somehow, but… why?

She felt relief flood her mind when she felt the weight of the creature disappearing in an instant. She cracked both of her eyes open to observe what the creature was doing, but she had to squint because she had to adjust to her surroundings. She could, however, make out the brief shadowy figure of the creature looming above her with a snarl.

Kagamine Rin pulled herself up, realizing that she was bleeding in not one but multiple areas. There were also dark purplish bruises running down from her arms, probably due to the violent struggle just now, but these small details didn't bother her one bit. She would just get it fixed once she was at home. But for now…

She stared apprehensively at the face of the threatening creature. It snorted, its face distorted at what seemed to be anger and hatred.

"You will not leave this place, human," it snarled, causing Rin to jump a few inches off the ground.

"_You_ were the one who refused to eat me when you had the chance to!" Rin retorted smartly, almost regretting what she had said to the creature after she had blurted out the sentence completely.

"Yes," it said, approaching her slowly, "but with a price."

"What?" Rin snapped, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You don't want to die," it drawled, "so I will offer you a chance to live. I haven't eaten for quite a while now, and letting you off would mean I would miss another meal. Go find me something edible."

Rin was about to open her big mouth and retort back, but something in her mind told her she shouldn't because the creature was probably still hungry and it could just lunge at her again and snap her head and body into two.

Instead of speaking snappishly, she forced herself to use the same sweet, soft voice she had been using just now, back at the cottage. "Will apples do?"

The creature did not say anything. Rin didn't wait for its reply or answers — she immediately darted to where the apples were lying on, grabbing about four of them, and running to where the creature was.

The creature didn't wait for her response, either. It just jumped forward and pushed her away, causing Rin to land ungracefully on the ground with a pained whine. It started to gobble down the apples hungrily and greedily, finishing the apples almost at the blink of an eye.

"C-can I go now?" Rin picked herself up and asked, her voice soft and timid.

"No," the creature roared, the looks on its face darkening with anger. "I didn't say that food for _one_ day would guarantee your life."

"W— What?"

"You are supposed to bring me food every _single _day," it snapped, its voice low and threatening, "unless I tell you not to. Otherwise, you have to feed me, or I will go running out of the woods to seek for humans to feast on!"

"You're sick!" Rin shouted, her voice dripping with anger, "You want me to act as your slave, bringing you food everyday? What kind of a sick _threat_ is that?"

"It's only right that your bring me food everyday to compensate and to repay me for letting you off that easily, _human_."

"You're a _monster_!" Rin growled, her heart beating so fast she could hear it, "I don't want to have anything to do with you after this whole thing!"

"No," the creature said curtly, and Rin watched with curiosity as it stood on its two hind legs with a wide grin.

There was a bright glow surrounding the creature, and Rin had to close her eyes because the light was too blinding for her eyes to manage. She could, however, see the creature changing into another form slowly, and that form almost looked like it had normal limbs, like hers…

A human's.

The glow disappeared, and Rin gasped at the sight that greeted her.

It was a human instead of the creature. The human was beautiful, with the same but smaller bloodthirsty red eyes. Its face was well defined — even the lips looked perfect. It had soft, healthy blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and bangs that seemed to shadow its face in a mysterious manner. It was clad in a normal looking black coat and a casual pair of black dress pants and white shirt, its attire radiating the aura of a royalty's.

The grin on its face stretched wider, if that was even possible.

"I'm a human. Just like you, milady."

* * *

Author's notes: Alright, so Len has appeared in this chapter! What is Rin going to do now that she has gotten herself in this mess? Why did Len not kill her when he had the chance to? There are a lot of unanswered questions but fear not! All will gradually be explained in future chapters!

Please remember to **review** after you've read this chapter of **THE RED SPADE **because reviews make the authoress happy! Go ahead, the review button is waiting for you. C:

Stay tuned to next week's (I think) chapter!


	3. Survival instincts

Me: Okay, so, see... I was kind of afraid that the chapter wasn't good enough... so I went back and kept redoing the chapter until I decided to give up. Erm, well, heehee... -Nervous laughs-

Random voice: And you took what, almost a _month_, to do all that stuff? Are you crazy?

Me: W-wait! I can explain! Listen—

Random voice: Procrastinator. -mumble_s _and grumbles_-_

Me: A-anyway! I did it! I managed to post chapter three of this fic onto FF! And I was thinking of redoing again but my mind and the plot bunnies were too tired to work!

Random voice: Make sure you don't take ages to update this time...

Me: I would like to thank **read me like a book**, **Malirra4290**, **MizukiKagamine**, **Xviera Siramad**,** Rina-tan** and **Killbean** for reviewing last chapter. Thank you guys, and I'd also like to apologize for the late update. x.x I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid.

* * *

**"The Red Spade" - Act 3: Survival instincts **

* * *

"I'm a human just like you, milady."

That whole sentence sent Kagamine Rin over the edge. Something within her cracked, but she didn't know what did. All she knew that there was this creature, standing in front of her one moment ago, literally — no, _insanely_ transforming into a human within a few minutes, claiming to be a human just like her after it had tried to scratch her and ball her eyes out a few moments ago.

This was too much for Kagamine Rin to handle. She was going_ crazy_ soon, she knew, because she didn't know how to differentiate right from wrong, and dreams from reality anymore.

She must be dreaming. Yes, that was the most rational thought and explanation she could come up with. There was, otherwise, no other plausible explanation as to why a creature — or a human — would attack her one moment, then claim to be one of her kind in the next moment.

"I must be dreaming," she simply said, looking aimlessly at the dreamy virtual image of the _humane _not to mention handsome guy standing right in front of her with a smile. The dream felt so real, though, but she knew it wasn't real because there were no such things as humans transforming into wolves and wolves transforming into humans randomly as and when they'd like. What did they call this type of creature again? Ah, yes… A _werewolf_, Rin recalled.

The blonde guy arched an eyebrow at her blank look, and folded his arms neatly across his chest.

"I think I can wake up now — no, wait… I'm still dreaming," Rin drawled, looking up the now dark skies blankly. Her eyes were hazed with something amongst the lines of fear and disbelief, and it lacked the usual vibrant shade of green it always had.

"You aren't dreaming," the guy grunted, gripping her wrists in one swift motion, and pulling her closer so they were only about a few inches apart.

"Wake me up," Rin continued to mumble unconsciously, not caring what escaped her lips at this moment.

There was a low growl emitting from the other party, and Rin let out a harsh yelp when the hand on her wrist tightened inconsiderably. It hurt a lot, and she felt as if her wrist was going to be broken any moment soon. She was sure that with this kind of brutal force, a mark would form, and it would probably take days for her to recover from this bruise…

"It hurts," she whined, her face distorted in pain, "and it feels so real…"

She felt the bruising force on her wrist disappear as soon as she said that. A moment later, however, she let out another shrill shriek when pale fingers slid up her arms in an agonizingly slow manner, as if the fingers were out to torment the victim. The fingers made its way up to the smooth, exposed neck of the blonde, and then curled itself around the neck in the same bruising grip as before.

Rin could feel closer and closer to death when he — this _monster_, demon, or a _human_ — coiled his fingers tightly around her neck, effectively cutting off her main supply of oxygen. She struggled and brought her hands up to where his hands were, clawing madly at him as if pleading him to let go of her so she could at the very least breathe and still live on. His fingers, however, wouldn't budge at all, and her attempts proved to be futile when his grip on her neck tightened more, causing her to let out a whine of some sort.

Her vision was getting clouded and hazed slowly. She could feel it, death, that is. Kagamine Rin was going to die, once again, in the unknown depths of the woods, and nobody would locate her corpse and be kind enough to bury her—

— The grip on her neck loosened slowly, but the fingers were still there. She let out a loud gasp, sucking in more oxygen than necessary at this chance, even though her oxygen supply was still limited.

"If you want to play pretend," the guy snarled viciously, his handsome face turning to that of an insane psychopath's instantly, "then I will play along with you. Of course, don't say I didn't warn you, _human_."

"I… w-w-won't," Kagamine Rin gasped, struggling to find the right words so that he could just release her because the limited air supply was causing her to feel light-headed, dizzy and faint by now. "P-Please… L-let m-me g-go!"

A cruel and sadistic smirk appeared on the other party's lips as he let go of her neck, watching bemusedly at how Rin burst into a wreck of coughing fits instantly. She trailed one of her slim and bony hands up her neck, trying to soothe the skin there by rubbing it continuously and stop the discolored bruise from forming.

Kagamine Rin felt her knees below wobble and give way under her, causing her to collapse on the hard ground with her still coughing violently from that crazed psychopath's actions back then. She couldn't breathe; it _had_ hurt a lot, and it still did, but it was at the very least getting better now. She wanted to jump up to strangle that strange guy and let him have a taste of his own medicine, but judging by the masculinity of that fellow, she was sure to lose.

She heard the man chuckle sardonically from above her. Whatever for, she didn't know. But one thing was clear to her now — this man looming above her was a sadist that derived pleasure by watching people suffer. If she stayed on any longer, she might get worse treatments, and she didn't feel like going through that crazy process where she wouldn't be able to breathe again.

"Get me some food, human," he sneered, eyeing Rin with loathe and perhaps, pity in his eyes.

"What if I said no?" She retorted once more, snapping up to meet the angry gaze of the blonde man. She averted her eyes from his gaze when she found his eyes too intense for her to look at.

"You never had a say in the first place."

"_Excuse me_?" Rin snapped, her bravery fueled by the sudden rage rising defiantly up in her mind. "I _would _have helped you just now, but you wanted to _kill_ and _strangle_ me to death! Since you've let me off, and I've already let you strangle me once, we're quits. We don't owe each other anymore!"

"You honestly think _that_ would work, human?" The man rolled his eyes from above her. "I could have strangled you to death like you said, but I _didn't_. So you still owe me one, girl."

"Bullshit!" Kagamine Rin cursed, picking herself up from the filthy ground, and rubbing the dirt off her mud-stained dress. "That isn't talking fair, you little brute—"

"Listen," the blonde man hissed venomously, shooting a glare that sent shivers down Rin's spine in an instant. "You _do_ as I say, and I _won't_ hurt you. I'll let you off, human, but you are to return tomorrow with food for me, _understand_?"

Kagamine Rin pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes in fear at the harsh tone that the man used. She didn't really want to agree to it, but she knew she _had_ to because he was right — she never had a say in this matter at all in the first place. Agreeing to it didn't really mean that she had to abide by it, though, because even though this guy here was fierce ad threatening, he wouldn't be able to chase her back one she'd gotten out of his sight.

Yes. Kagamine Rin wasn't going to bring him food, really. She wasn't even planning to return here in the first place — he wouldn't know, so she could just lie to him for the time being, just for the sake of getting away from him and his horrid intentions.

It was the perfect plan.

"Sure." The blonde man arched an eyebrow up at her sudden willingness to cooperate, but didn't question her any further.

"I'll come back tomorrow, with tons of good stuff," Rin exclaimed, a cheerful grin adorning her innocent looking face.

"Good. I'll see you here tomorrow then, _little girl_?"

Rin winced at the way he seemed to emphasize on the last word, but made no move to correct him or the like.

"Sure!" She said, inwardly chuckling at how gullible and _stupid_ this man was. He may have the force and the brutality to do things, but he certainly didn't have the mind and brain to think of things more complexly like Rin would. This man was after all, not human, so he wouldn't know how cunning humans like her were. Too bad for him, she wasn't planning on sympathizing with him on his stupidity.

With a grin, she turned around and hopped back to the village, never sparing the man another glance.

**

* * *

**

The dim glows of the stars were already visible when she reached back home. The skies were already a pitch black save for the illuminating bright crescent moon that hung up the skies proudly.

The village was covered by silence. All the lights in the houses were already out by the time she had stepped into the entrance of the village. The stalls and the marketplace were already closed, and the silence was strangely and eerily unnerving her. There was also not a single soul present in the main road, and she seemed to be the only living thing that was actually breathing here…

With a few hasty steps, she crept her way to her house like a thief, making sure she stopped in front of a particular marked window. She slid her hands on the soft smooth frame of the window, feeling around for the trick switch that she had painstakingly made just in case she wanted to get her ass back into the house without waking up the drunken harpy, Sakine Meiko.

With a soft click, the window opened. Kagamine Rin slid her soft and lithe body frame into the window, making use of how flexible her body was, and landed on the other side with a soft 'thud'. She giggled, snapping the window shut immediately and looking around in the darkness, trying to see where her bed was.

She had to think of various reasons to lie to Meiko the next day. She had, after all, suffered a few ridiculously abnormal injuries, and she just couldn't go around saying "a demon injured me" because this would mean that she was admitting to the existence of demons and trolls and the like, which would be damaging to her pride since it was _her_ who had talked so much about how their existence was a fluke the whole morning!

Also… what was she going to say about her grandmother? That "Oh, she got eaten by the wolf" or maybe "I don't know, she disappeared and I didn't see her anywhere"? That would be suicide! Knowing Meiko, she'd probably just send Rin back into that dreaded place again to look for _her_!

Rin managed to grab hold on her soft bed, and she didn't even think twice to jump on top of it, lying down comfortably with her body splayed on the cooling white sheets of the bed.

Her mind shifted back to the man with the blonde hair in a ponytail again. What was he doing? No, what _would_ he be doing? He was probably back into his wolf form again, and he'd probably be whining because he was hungry and there weren't any food there for him…

"Screw him," she cursed, getting angrier the more she thought of him, "I hope he dies from starvation tomorrow!"

She decided not to think anymore, mainly because she was too tired to think, and her energy was drained after a tough day out. Besides, her wounds still hurt… and she didn't want to risk hurting herself in more ways than one with her aggressive temper since she wouldn't know what she may do if she continued to get herself this angry…

She slowly let unconsciousness and sleep take over her form.

She didn't see the pair of blood red eyes observing her from outside the window.

**

* * *

**

Kagamine Rin bolted up, sweat soaking her already dirty dress and bangs. Her hair was in a complete mess, with strands of hair popping out in unnecessary places, and some strands sticking to her neck and face due to her perspiration from yesterday and from the nightmare she just had.

She panted, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down and to regulate her breathing pattern. She was still shaking from the nightmare even though it had clearly been just an illusion that would never occur…

The morning sun was already out, the bright sunlight bringing and causing extreme displeasure to Rin. She could hear the soft chirping of the birds outside the windows, and a smile made its way up on her lips slowly. It was a new day, another fresh beginning for Kagamine Rin. What would she do today? Oh, she had to change since she hadn't changed last night…

A shower might be good.

She stepped out of bed, letting her feet come into contact with the cool yet rough surface of the creaking floorboards. She stretched herself for a few moments, hearing the few 'pops' from her muscle and feeling extremely satisfied thereafter.

She walked straight to her wardrobe, picking up a similar dress, and then waltzed straight into the bathroom, locking the door closely behind her.

The mirror was what she saw when she stepped inside.

Her reflection looked nothing like the Rin from yesterday. There were a few scratches on her chin, and a deep, long bruise on her neck where that _idiot_ had strangled her yesterday. Her leg was also covered with dry blood, and there were a few scratches and bruises here and there, but those were just minor injuries. They didn't hurt as _bad_ as the one on her throat because that part had been the one that had caused her excruciating pain last night.

How long would the wounds take to heal? Days? Weeks? Months? They would surely leave scars… Most importantly, how was she going to explain to Meiko about the injuries found all over her body?

Whatever it was, the most important thing for her to do right now was to get herself clean so that she could wash off those dried blood on her limbs and get rid of the musky smell on her body.

Everything else could wait.

**

* * *

**

"Meiko? Are you there?" Kagamine Rin looked all over the little room, looking for traces of the brunette, but there were none.

"Meiko?" She repeated, sincerely hoping that Meiko hadn't went to look for her out in the woods.

_This_ was strange. Sakine Meiko had always been the type of woman to wake up early in the morning to work. She'd always be available and easily found the corner of the house where the fireplace stood, either sharpening knives or other sharp objects for the villagers as a living. She had always been so noisy in her work, and yet everything was silent this time.

A familiar smell wafted through the air when Kagamine Rin pushed the main door open, wincing at how the harsh sunlight penetrated her eyesight. She couldn't quite put her finger on what the smell was, but it was strangely familiar…

A few villagers were seen running around desperately, holding buckets of water in their hands. Most of the water had already splashed on the ground when they were running around like madmen.

She rushed up to one of the men running around and pulled his arm, effectively halting him and at the same time earning a glare from him.

"What?" He spat.

"What happened here? Why are all the people running?" She asked hoarsely.

"There's a fire, little _missy_," he replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the last word, "I'm going to help put out the fire. Meanwhile, you can _stay_ here and look as all of us tries to bring everyone to safety."

Without saying another word, he pushed Rin away, continuing forward with the bucket of water in his hand.

A fire? Oh, so that was what the smell had been. Meiko wasn't at home because she was probably out there, under the sun, trying to put an end to the fire at wherever it was. It was certainly strange, because there had been no cause for fire, unless the kids were playing with the stove or the matches when their parents were out in the marketplace…

With a groan, Kagamine Rin followed the villagers to the source of the fire, secretly hoping that the fire weren't as big as she thought it might've been.

If she had been more observant, she would have noticed the pair of blood red eyes carefully watching her every move in the shadows.

But she hadn't.

* * *

Me: Okay... So this arc is the transition arc, which means that Rin and Len would undergo some relationship boost before the real plot kicks in.

Random voice: Oh and you're going to kick the plot in next year or so, right? Honestly, you lazy little...

Me: ...

Random voice: Don't ignore me! Hey, I'm talking to you!

Me: Anyway, reviews will be appreciated! I'll reply your reviews ASAP but this time I didn't, because, well, I was busy... I guess that doesn't really excuse me any?

Random voice: It doesn't.

Me: Review & comment. You know you want to. C:


	4. Deal with the Demon

Me: An update, like, finally! Wowzers!

Random reader: Shut up! You made me wait for a month or so! And you dare say 'finally'?

Me: Okay, so, I was like, busy and stuff, and I didn't have time to update despite the fact that I had already written this chapter a long time ago...

Random reader: That is just an excuse!

Me: -sweatdrops- I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you readers, okay? I'll give you another update within a week or two. Promise.

Random reader: That's better.

Me: I'd like to thank **orangeer, Xviera Siramad, .Seahorse, biscute-head, Lulu De Rushe, woodspritethatconqueredpeople, NightsTheVocaloid, Cookiemonster599, Krnyong, Pupstar and Bunny **for reviewing the last chapter! Thank you for the overwhelming response! I love you guys to the max and I promise the next chapter will be something even better (I made it extra long and fluffy just for you guys~). I hope you guys haven't given up the fic yet ~ T_T Sorry for the late update.

This chapter is dedicated to all of the people who have reviewed this fic.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one.

* * *

**"The Red Spade" - Act 4: Deal with the demon**

* * *

But she hadn't.

Kagamine Rin gasped in complete shock when she saw the raging flames of the wild fire on one of the trees getting bigger and bigger as the villagers attempted to put it out by pouring large amounts of water on it. It had managed to burn a few crops here and there, and had also managed to set ablaze one of the unused huts in the deserted part of the village.

The flames of the ferocious fire were spreading rapidly to and fro. Tree branches were burnt and reduced to soot and ashes within a few minutes, and the hut was no doubt going to be next. There were a few haystacks and barrels arranged neatly beside the burning hut, and if they didn't stop the fire from spreading any further, there were going to be unavoidable injuries and losses.

Panic fogged her mind and stopped her from thinking calmly and normally. She _couldn't_ even think right if she wanted to, because she was too nervous and too afraid to think of any solutions that may help her prevent the flames from destroying her very own village and her very own _home_.

She caught sight of the brunette she had been looking for in the morning in the corner of her eye. Said brunette was, like the rest of the villagers, throwing water to the flames in a desperate attempt to cease the raging fire.

Kagamine Rin hurried to where her brunette guardian stood, and tapped softly on her shoulder. The brunette turned around with a hiss, startling Rin with her extremely curt and murderous look. She suppressed a shudder and willed herself to speak as calmly as she would normally do at home.

"How did—" Meiko interrupted her with a sentence of her own before she could finish saying hers.

"—Save the questions for later! Rin, quick—" Meiko clicked her tongue impatiently, turning to scowl at the blazing flames. "—Get a bucket of water from the well and help put out this fire before it spreads or destroy anything! Don't go inside the houses because the flames are spreading fast!"

Kagamine Rin nodded, knowing very well how dangerous their situation was right now. She turned around and walked a few steps before breaking into a run, speeding through some of the villagers and heading for the well located at the southern part of the village.

She panted, feeling dizzy under the heat of the sun, and tried to move quicker and faster, if that was even possible. Her knees and ankles were starting to hurt _very_ badly, and with each step she took, she felt like her actions were draining the life out of her. After all, this was her _home_, the home she had grew accustomed to since she was a baby, and what could be more important than defending her own home? The pain she felt on her legs wouldn't and couldn't compare.

She arrived at the well and wiped away the beads of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. She observed a few men running back and forth with their buckets, some rushing to the origin of the flames and others trying to get more water into their empty wooden buckets.

She limped forward until she was a few inches away from the well, and looked into the deep, dark ends of the well. She then looked around her surroundings, trying to look for an unused, available bucket—

—And there _it_ was! Somebody had offered one to her kindly, and for a moment there she thought that the pale hand offering and holding the bucket out to her was looking a little _too_ familiar for her liking. She'd recognize that hand from somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen it.

The man who had offered it to her was also looking a little too suspicious. He had his face well hidden by his top hat, so she couldn't see him properly. Somehow, something about this 'help' seemed to be a little too… _strange_.

That was the least of her worries right now. She shouldn't be thinking of her past when there was a fire up there in the village! She should just accept any help she could get and get her butt there immediately.

"Thank you, sir!" With a cheesy grin, Kagamine Rin grabbed the bucket offered to her only to find that the bucket was _not_ empty at all in the first place — it had been heavy, and she'd almost collapse under the weight of the bucket combined with the liquid inside it.

There was a dark, amused chuckle resonating from above her, and Kagamine Rin turned to look at the man to say something amongst the lines of 'what's so funny?' when her eyes widened in horror.

She was looking into those sadistic red eyes only that horrible _creature_ would possess.

She dropped the bucket on the ground, spilling the water messily over the protruding surface of the hard granite.

There was no doubt about it — it was indeed that _thing_ she met in the cottage yesterday. His pale skin complex, his twisted smirk that screamed of bloodlust, and his beautifully put up blonde hair… it all looked exactly the same. The only thing different about him was the top hat he was wearing under the shimmering and hot golden sunlight.

"Shit!" Rin cursed, stumbling a few steps back carelessly and desperately to get away from this… thing, this man who had almost killed her yesterday. However, she was not of the right mind at the moment, and hence she had carelessly tripped over one of the rocks on the ground, causing her to let out a sharp yelp before she closed her eyes and waited for the impact and the pain to come.

It didn't.

She opened her eyes once more, shrieking when she saw _his_ a few inches away from hers. He had wrapped his arms around her waist and caught her before her body had managed to come into contact with the ground. Her very first instinct was to push at him to get away from him immediately no matter what the cost might be.

To her surprise, he let her go with another amused chuckle.

She swore, picking up the lines that Meiko had previously used in the house, and took a few steps away from him, her eyes narrowed in terror. She gritted her teeth and clenched her knuckles until it turned white when she saw him approaching her slowly.

"So _you_ were the one responsible for the fire!" She screamed accusingly, raw anger engulfing her mind and soul.

"It was _you_, not me," he spoke, that smirk of his never leaving his face, "what, you think I wouldn't know what you were thinking back then? You thought you were smart?"

"I never _said_ I was smart!" She shot back, her face red with fury. She could feel it… her voice was starting to tremble with anger, and if she didn't control her emotions soon…

"You didn't _say_ it," he gritted his teeth, mocking her words, "but you were _thinking_ it."

Kagamine Rin froze, not knowing what to say to his claim. She knew it _was_ true no matter how hard she tried to deny it — she _was_ indeed thinking that last night. She should've thought of the consequences of her own actions, should've considered at least thrice before she decided to act all smart and stuff, should've thought of the possibility of this man tailing her back to the village… but she didn't.

"You thought I was a fool, _human_," he uttered, his voice soft and at the same time creepy, "but you were wrong. I have been living on Earth _longer_ than you can ever imagine, girl. You just don't know it."

"So what if I was planning on fleeing and not returning?" She spat, her voice filled with disgust. She turned her attention to the screams and cries heard in the background, coming from the direction of the source of the fire. She pointed a finger in that direction, a vein popping up on the side of her head.

"Those people are _innocent_! My decision _didn't_ have anything to do with them! It was mine, and _mine_ alone! Why are you dragging innocent people into your twisted little game?"

"I already _told_ you," he replied hotly, "I am, in fact, very hungry right now, and since I don't have any food, I'll do what I please to satisfy my hunger. Your decision may not have any effects on the lives of this people, but _mine_ certainly do."

"You're sick—" Rin growled, chewing on her bottom lip nervously when she heard more cries in the background. She felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, but she didn't care. "—You are downright _despicable_! I… I'll get those people to get _rid _of you by telling them the cause of the fire—"

"—It's no use. They can't see me." He shrugged, watching her uncaringly as she continued drawing blood from her delicate bottom lip.

"It doesn't matter, _human_," the blonde-haired man added, expressing his last word with mockery, "if you don't hurry, your village and your friends may be burnt into a crisp…"

Rin felt panic rise within her once more. She watched as the blonde man started to change, his form slowly darkening until she couldn't make out the smooth contours of his face anymore. The darkness around him slowly started to disperse until he completely disappeared into thin air without any warning.

So, he disappeared. Maybe he decided to leave her alone or maybe he had regretted his so called decision? In any case, Rin wasn't going to bother herself thinking of that stupid man. She had better things to do.

On his place stood another unused bucket. He must have left it behind… Kagamine Rin gulped, and grabbed the bucket without a second thought.

She made her way back, feeling the liquid in it splash on the ground as she ran. She took quicker and longer strides this time, feeling the familiar tingling and throbbing of her leg. It _hurt_, it really did…

She stopped when she finally reached her destination, and stared with a horrified expression at the extent and size of the flames now. It had increased its size, spreading into the barns and a few tree houses a few meters away from the barrels and haystacks, which were now completely burnt to ashes.

The hut that used to be there was also no longer there.

It was _her_ turn to help.

She stood slightly a few meters away from the flames and splashed all of the contents of the bucket into the raging flames, earning a thumbs up and a grin from the brunette standing beside her.

It was short-lived. Both of them cried out, stupefied, when they realized the contents of the bucket only made the fire grow bigger.

"Idiot—" Meiko cursed under her breath, eyeing Rin with a vicious glare. If looks could kill, then Rin would have been dead by now. "—That was _oil_, you idiot—"

"_Oil_?" Rin shrieked, completely shocked and ignorant of this fact. Yes, she should've thought of it… why would somebody like _him_, who had supposedly started that stupid fire, suddenly change his mind and help put the flames out? He was a monster, a demon, a _sadist_, and there was absolutely no reason to his sudden change of attitude!

She was stupid to trust that smug, insane psychopath!

The flames got bigger, enveloping the whole of the few remaining trees in the area. The tree houses were burnt instantly, leaving no traces of its previous existence behind.

"_Missy_," One of the men snarled, shooting daggers in his eyes, "if you ain't got nothing to help, then just stand 'ere and remain still! You givin' us more trouble then we already have, ya hear?"

She flinched, watching as the man continued to put out the fire with the bucket of water. She hadn't meant to make anything worse than it already was! She wanted to help, and she sincerely _tried _to do so already, but that stupid arrogant snob of a demon managed to con her and make her spill oil on the fire instead! It was _his _fault that she was unable to do anything now…

"Need help?" Came the familiar voice of that smug psychopath from behind her. She could feel his breath trickling on her smooth ear shell, and she immediately whipped around to glare at him.

He leapt away from her almost instantly, landing smoothly and safely on top of one of the tree houses in front of her.

"Put the flames out!" She yelled, extremely pissed off with that devious look glued on his face.

"Why should I?" He questioned, examining his nails from a distance. Rin gritted her teeth again, resisting the urge to throw a witty remark at him or to lunge at him with that bucket of hers.

"I—"

"Oi, Rin!" The voice of the brunette brought Rin's attention away from the offending male. "Who the heck are you talking to?"

"Meiko," she hissed, her voice barely above a whisper, "this man is the cause of it all — he started that fire, and he intends to destroy the whole of the village because it makes him extremely satisfied—"

Meiko shot her a blank look, and Rin could feel her heart thumping as realization began to hit her mind. What was it that that demon man had said just now? It had been something about others not being able to see him…

So it was true. Others weren't able to see him, but Rin could.

It wasn't a lie. It wasn't a trick to deceive her. It was the _truth_.

But why?

"Nobody's there," Meiko simply snapped, turning her attention back to the rapidly increasing flames.

Shit. Kagamine Rin had to do something now. The flames were going to spread to her house, and if she didn't do something quick, she would be left with nowhere but the streets to sleep at! Why could she do, though? She could go back and get another bucket of water, but the water wasn't going to help since the man could just start another fire with a flick of his wrist.

Unless…

"Stop the fire—" Rin pleaded, her voice filled with sorrow and agony, "—please!"

"What do I get in exchange for that?" The blonde-haired man smirked at the sight of her defeated expression.

"I'll bring you food," Rin simply said, not sparing him a single look in his direction, "_everyday_."

Something warm fell onto her hands, and she turned to see herself holding a new bucket in her hands. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of it, remembering how she had _effectively_ caused the fire to be bigger just now.

"Use this," he said from afar, "just dump it into the fire and it'll be gone instantly."

"Oil?" Rin raised a brow.

"Aren't you going to listen, human?"

She was extremely hesitant in obeying his instructions after that incident just now. He was, after all, rather tricky, and for all Kagamine Rin knew, he could just be lying to her. He could be secretly plotting to grotesquely murder all the villagers and destroy the whole of this village for his sick, perverted little desires. One splash was all it took to end this whole fire… in an agonizing way, or a peaceful way.

The village was basically in her hands.

One splash…

She did as told.

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Me: Okay, so that's it for this chapter! Guys, please remember to **review** and **comment**. I do check my mail, and I get really happy when I find a review here. C:

Reader: Oh really.

Me: Yes! Speaking of which... I'm going to do a cosplay on Vocaloid later this year, but I don't know which character to do! Are there any experienced cosplayers out there that may give me a tip or two for a newbie like me? Teehee~

Reader: ... -ignores-

Me: H-hey! You're ignoring me!

Reader: Serve you right for ignoring me the last chapter.

Me: ... Anyway, don't hesitate to talk to me via PMs or reviews! I don't bite :D Stay tuned to the next chapter next week! (And I promise it will be a fast update to make it up to you guys... sorry. I really am sorry. x.x)


	5. Complicating the complicated

Me: I said I wanted to update next week or something but I went back on my word and updated within a few days! Muahahah!

Random Reader: Why the freaking random update lulz (not that I care or something)

Me: I was so freaking happy when I saw the number of reviews I got on that day for that chapter! I've never received so many reviews on a single day before! So, I decided to publish this chapter to avoid letting people wait! Readers, I love you guys~

Random Reader: Help thereisafreaking_PMS-er_ontheloose!

Me: I'd like to thank **Malirra4290**, **Xviera Siramad**, **hidarichan81**, **MimiKathy**, **MizukiKagamine**, **CookieMonster599**, **read me like a book**, **orangeer** and **KFG24** for reviewing! Here's some free cookies for all of you~ *hands cookies* 8D There, I kept my promise~

Random Reader: ... are... are you actually sane today?

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter, 'cause that will redirect you to the previous previous chapter. Ain't I kind? :D~ *brags*

This chapter is again dedicated to all the people who have reviewed so far. (Thanks, guys~)

EDIT/ Corrected some errors that KFG24 managed to point out :D Thanks! *Gives a freshly baked cookie*

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 5:**** Complicating the complicated**

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She did as told.

Kagamine Rin flung the whole bucket together with all its contents forward into the cackling hot fire and hopped a few steps back, her no longer playful emerald eyes watching the flames with trepidation. Time seemed to freeze all of a sudden, and she heard a few warning bells ringing and echoing in her now empty mind, reminding her of the countless consequences and possibilities that might occur because of her actions.

The flames danced for a moment or two, black smoke still polluting the environment. Then, as if a miracle happened, the flames started dying down rapidly until there weren't a single flame left.

Kagamine Rin could feel all eyes on her all of a sudden. All the villagers had already turned to look at _her_, eyes filled with bewilderment and astonishment at how she was able to put out the fire completely in less than a minute or two when they had been working on putting the fire out for more than an hour or so.

She didn't say anything since she was trying her best to ignore all the attention she had unintentionally gained. She never liked being the center of attraction in all her life as a teenager because it just made her feel uncomfortably awkward with things around her.

"What did you do?" One of them questioned, casting a suspicious look at her.

"I—" Rin glanced over her shoulder to see if that mysterious man was still there, but he wasn't. "—I don't k-know."

"It must be the work of the heavens!" Another man from the crowd exclaimed, reaching out for the skies, "A Goddess has decided to help us!"

There were cheers roaring from the crowd all of a sudden. Applauses, excited and delightful squeals could be heard, causing a faint shade of pink to appear on Rin's pale cheeks. She could hear them whispering about her, probably applauding her for her courage or the like…

Meiko was the first one to step forward.

She grabbed hold of Rin's wrist —the _wounded_ one— and dragged her away from the crowd, ignoring the surprised yelp and protests slipping out of the blonde's lips. She roughly shoved Rin inside their house and shut the door hastily behind her when the both of them were in.

Rin shuddered when the brunette narrowed her dark irises at her and pulled out one of the stools under the table.

She watched as the brunette sat down on the stool with a sullen look.

"Explain," the brunette started, tapping her index finger on the table with a rather impatient look, "how you managed to do _that_."

"W-well, I—" Rin stammered and hesitated before replying her. What was she going to say, anyway?

She couldn't just go ahead and tell Meiko that a mysterious, blonde-haired man, also known as a demon, had went ahead to help her put out the fire. Meiko couldn't even _see_ him back then, so she probably wouldn't believe her… right?

But then again, Kagamine Rin was the one who had been in denial all the time; she had been the one who _had_ refused to believe in demons or the like, and Meiko was more of the superstitious type of person. If she had told her that she had seen a demon with her own eyes, wouldn't Meiko be more inclined to believe her? It came out of the lips of someone who _hadn't_ believed in those supernatural phenomenons, after all.

Perhaps Meiko would even help her get rid of that stinking demon once she had told her about it.

"Hello?" Meiko cocked her head to the side, watching Rin with those dark, swirling and strangely calm eyes — it was a contrast from before.

"Listen Meiko," Rin whispered, her voice as cool and as crisp as the air. Her look must have been one of a very serious one, for Meiko immediately knitted her eyebrows together in suspicion. "I know you wouldn't believe me, more or less, but what really happened was something I'd never expected to happen in my whole life, and I myself couldn't believe it until I saw it—"

"Okay, okay," Meiko cut in, the side of her lips twitching in annoyance. "Get to the point, Rin."

"Well, you see, I saw a bloody—"

"You tell her, and I'll have to kill her," said a smooth voice from behind her.

Kagamine Rin froze, her face instantly turning white at the thought of whom the voice belonged to. She didn't even need to turn around to look at whom it belonged to — it was the same dark, threatening growl she had heard from before. His voice hadn't changed at all.

So, Rin couldn't tell Meiko. Meiko couldn't see him. What was she supposed to do right now? She was trapped!

"Rin?" Meiko asked, staring at her with a puzzled expression. "What did you see?"

"Tell her you don't know anything," the demon purred from behind her.

Kagamine Rin stared at the air for a moment, pursing her lips in deep thought. She had two very obvious and dangerous choices right now— she could open her big mouth and babble everything she knew to the brunette, but she could end up getting herself into danger because there was no telling what a demon like him could do, especially since he was able to set the whole village on fire.

She could also feign ignorance and just let him do whatever he wanted. It could not be that difficult, could it? All she had to do was to bring him some food… and he did not even specify what kind of food.

Yes, choice two would be the best option for her. She didn't want to see Meiko in danger.

"I—" Rin stuttered, searching for the right words to answer Meiko's question, "I saw a walking tree."

The brunette remained silent for a few moment, her dark eye orbs scrutinizing Rin's sapphire ones for any hints of lies. Then, as if something ridiculous was plastered on Rin's face, she burst into laughter.

"Why does this scene seem so familiar…?" Rin trailed off, grumbling as she watched Meiko pound her fists on the wooden table while laughing hysterically at the 'joke' she made. She was starting to feel really regretful and annoyed at herself for not telling the truth, and she wanted desperately to spill the beans right there and then.

"R-R-Right," Meiko managed to say within bouts of laughter, "—what has a tree got to do with anything? If you had mentioned something about an encounter with a demon, then maybe I'd believe you, … but a tree? You believe in magic or something?"

Kagamine Rin sighed.

If only the brunette knew how true her words were.

* * *

The wooden logs and branches creaked under her weight and snapped when Kagamine Rin ran hastily across the grasses in an attempt to avoid anyone from spotting her in the forest at this time of the night.

She stopped running when she caught sight of the familiar old and worn-out cottage that had supposedly accommodated her grandmother before she had been, well, swallowed up by _that_ fiend.

"Hello?" Kagamine Rin hissed and knocked on the door, not attempting to veil the anger and sadness in her voice. She tightened her hold on the basket containing tomatoes and other fruits she had been carrying, and threw one last scrutinizing look around her surroundings.

It was getting really dark. The skies were nothing but a patch of black, and there were a few crows cackling here and there, followed by trees that had branches sticking out in random places… and somehow, the trees reminded her of long bony hands that belonged to those witches she'd see in plays on the streets.

She swallowed nervously, and chewed on her lower lip.

How was she supposed to get back to her house at this state?

Besides, there was no response… If she wanted to get back quick, she had to get in _fast_.

That damned unresponsive demon wasn't helping her.

With a few grunts here and there, she kicked the door unceremoniously like what Meiko did a few days back, and yes, she had expected to see the door swing open from such a brutal and forceful kick—

—but it didn't happen.

Kagamine Rin let out a strangled and painful cry when the tip of her toes came into contact with the hard and rough surface of the door. She immediately retracted her whole foot and clutched it with her hands, dropping the basket of fruits and vegetables she had been carrying onto the floor.

"That thing we all call a door is going to die, I swear," she spat with uncustomary fury while she was desperately trying to soothe the pain by rubbing her foot.

"Damn it," Rin continued to swear, her eyes never leaving that stupid door, "it's all that insane psychopath's fault! I swear, if he opens the door, I will send my sandal flying towards him—"

—and at that precise moment, the door opened coincidentally, leaving a very flushed Rin staring at the face of that familiar fiend she had seen in the same location a few days back.

Rin continued staring at him with her mouth agape for what seemed like minutes; something bubbled up in her throat, and her inner demon was screaming at her to do as she had proclaimed a few minutes ago… but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Well?" The cruel sneer on the demon's face curled up to form a vicious and cunning smirk. "Aren't you going to _kill_ me with that pair of _sandals _you're wearing?"

"Shut up, jerk," Rin growled threateningly, placing her swollen foot slowly and softly down the ground. She leaned down, all the while glaring daggers at the vile demon, and picked up the basket on the ground despite the fact that some of the fruits had already rolled away.

She stormed her way through the door, purposely ignoring the fact that she had violently brushed against his left shoulder, and dumped the whole basket onto the top of the table with an uncaring attitude; she could care less if the fruits and vegetables she had so painstakingly brought for him would be spoilt in the process.

"What an uncouth lady you are," the sinister demon muttered with a creepy grin that managed to send a chill down Rin's spine, "I guess you're not that ladylike, are you?"

Rin wanted to open her mouth to throw a bunch of personal insults at him, but shook the thought off her mind and clammed her mouth shut instead; this demon had a strange obsession of seeing people—especially her—suffer under his hands, so she wouldn't grant him the pleasure of seeing her all worked up because of his stupid mouth.

Besides, that demon was completely unpredictable with his mood and whatnot. He was a constant PMS-er, Rin added, and she certainly didn't want to experience that moment when she almost died under his hands again…

"I'm leaving," Rin said monotonously, avoiding the gaze of that strange demon.

"Why the rush?" He said, folding his arms with fascination.

"I have already done my part by bringing you food," Rin answered, trying to calm herself down by pushing the urge to scream at him for being such a busybody down the back of her mind, "I have nothing more to do here… or to say to you—"

"—No," the blonde-haired demon said curtly, leaning towards the door such that it snapped shut instantly under his weight.

"_What_?" Kagamine Rin said through gritted teeth, finding herself unable to bottle up the rising fury any longer; if she had continued to try tolerating this demon with his strange reasons, concepts and the like, she might go crazy anytime soon because his reasoning was horrible, and it didn't make any sense to her at all.

"I won't let you leave," he said, his voice strangely calm, "not unless you answer a few questions I have for you—"

"—Shoot," Rin immediately interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. This earned her another cruel and wide grin, and something from his expression told Rin that he was going to ask and probe around things just to waste her time and to annoy the crap out of her.

"What's your name?" The demon asked, and Rin noticed his eerie grin widening with every word he said, if that was even remotely possible.

Oh, that's right. The both of them hadn't been properly introduced to each other yet. She didn't actually know the demon's exact name as of yet, and he didn't exactly know hers, either. It didn't even occur to her that she had not asked him for a proper introduction of himself yet; she had been so focused on the fact that he was a fiend… she had even forgotten the fact that he might actually have a _name _to begin with in the first place.

Rin snorted. "Just call me Rin. What's yours? Not that I care, anyway."

The demon chuckled, and his chuckle managed to make Rin feel a little apprehensive. "Good, because I wasn't planning on telling you mine—"

"Fine, I _do_ care," Rin retorted, changing her mind almost instantly; if she hadn't had the name of that demon, it would mean that she would be in the dark and he would be in the light since she would have already given him her name. It wasn't fair… and she wasn't going to let him have the upper hand anytime soon.

"It looks like you can _think_ after all, _Rin_," he mocked, curling his tongue at his last word in an attempt to drive Rin mad with rage, "You can just call me Len."

It actually surprised her. She was expecting a name that was stupid and maybe demon-like, maybe something amongst the lines of 'Frankenstein' or 'Spiky', but she hadn't expected a name that sounded so… humane and manly at the same time.

"Okay, cut the crap and shoot me with your next question," Rin snapped, pouting her lips and feeling very much annoyed at how the both of them had names with the same number of letters in them. It didn't help that both of the names were similar in more than one ways; both of the names had only one syllabus in them…

Len took a few steps forward until he was about a meter away from Rin. "Explain why you are able to see me."

Rin almost thought she was going mad; had she heard the wrong stuff? "What?"

_This _got Rin curious. She had been the only one with the ability to see Len, but she had never known why. In fact, she had always assumed that the main reason why she was able to see him was because he _wanted_ her to see him. If he, too, hadn't got a clue as to how she was able to see him, then… why, indeed?

"Why can you see me?" He asked once more, the look on his face darkening until it made Rin shiver with fright. His voice was no longer sarcastic and a little light; it was completely dark and serious, and something told Rin that she could be in a very dangerous situation right now.

"I-I… I thought the main reason why I could see you was because you _wanted_ me to see you!" Rin explained, with exaggerated hand gestures.

"So, you don't even know it yourself…" Len trailed off, tapping his chin with his finger in deep thought.

"Y-you—" Rin started stuttering, "—You can't say that I'm abnormal, can you? I mean, I have been perfectly fine and healthy all this while, until I managed to see you, and that is when I started doubting my—"

"—No, it isn't that," Len murmured confidently, "You're just as normal as any human; it might be because of 'it' that you are able to see me…"

"What?" She whispered, her voice getting shaky, "'it'? What's 'it'?"

"You—" He answered, hesitating for a moment or two before he continued, "You have something resembling a jade, don't you?"

"Well," Rin clucked her tongue, trying hard to think, "My mom _did_ leave me one…"

She wanted to reach into her pocket at that instant to retrieve said jade, but something within the deep murky depths of her mind told her otherwise.

There was something that told her that something ominous would happen if she took it out, and besides that, Rin would _never_ ever show that jade to any strangers—it was extremely valuable since it was worth a lot, and she wasn't one of those ladies on the streets who would show off those sparkling jewelries they had, and cry only when they were robbed later.

So she decided against it, and tried to gather more information about why he thought she would be able to see him instead.

"What has that jade got to do with anything, huh?"

Len's expression immediately darkened.

Rin stopped asking him any further questions when she noticed the grim look on Len's expression. His mouth was reduced to a thin line, and judging by his looks, she was almost positive that she wouldn't get anything out of him even if she had asked politely.

It was this feeling again. What was that? Ah, yes… It was the feeling of abandonment and uselessness.

Distrust.

It took a few moments before Rin eventually leapt out of her own thoughts after noticing that Len was speaking to her.

"… how is it?"

Rin stared at Len with an expression of bewilderness and confusion. Len had paused and was peering at her with the same eerie wide grin spread across his face.

_Well, _she thought with a frown, _at least he is back to his normal sarcastic self…_

Rin grew flustered and nervous. "… Sorry, but what did you say?"

"Your feet," Len repeated, his cold and uncaring eyes never leaving her face, "how is it?"

If he had at least shown some kind of a worried expression on his face, then yes, Rin would have felt touched and perhaps a little guilty for wanting to murder him with her pair of sandals earlier. But he had not shown any emotions in his face—not even in his eyes—and this led her to believe that he wasn't genuinely concerned; he was just fooling around with her once more, just to see her mad and flustered for his own pleasure.

Somehow, this made Rin disappointed and angry.

Perhaps it was the lack of care she had received from strangers that made her feel this way; the only care and concern she had received was from Meiko, after all, and she didn't count as a stranger because she was sort of family to her.

"It's none of your concern," Rin whispered sadly, "so stop acting like you care."

"Hmm?" Len drawled with an amused expression on his face.

"I said I don't need your false concern!" She yelled, unconsciously stamping her injured and bruised foot on the floor, causing her to let out a sharp and surprised shriek in pain.

She flushed with embarrassment, and started rubbing her toes like what she'd done outside just now.

"Sit down," Len said with a curt nod, pointing to the chair in front of the table, "I'll get your feet bandaged up—"

"—Will you just shut up and leave me be? I said I'm fine—"

Rin grimaced when he interrupted her coolly with a glare. "—I told you to sit down."

She let out a sigh and pursed her lips to prevent herself from uttering anything else to avoid angering Len; she could feel how authoritative he was, and how demanding he was. He was the dominant type, Rin was sure, so surely he'd dislike any further remarks from her.

She sat down gingerly on the poorly crafted chair, and propped her head between both of her hands with a bored look. This was going to take a while, especially since Len had to get the bandages from somewhere—she didn't know, and didn't want to know—and it was already very, very late.

Kagamine Rin almost jumped out of her seat when she felt a something warm brush against her skin, and she looked down, only to find Len removing her sandal from her injured foot.

"Why are you so warm?" She asked the first thing that came to her mind. Frankly, she was expecting him to feel cold and lifeless, not… not this warm. It was almost as if he was just as humane as her and the villagers.

She briefly wondered if he had a heart.

"Stay still," Len remarked, ignoring her question.

Something started glowing on his hand, and it wasn't until a few minutes later that Rin noticed a few bandages forming on the palm of his hand; he started to bandage her toes slowly and gently.

He looked so peaceful, so normal and so… so calm; she'd almost forgotten he was a monster at that point of time.

Maybe Len wasn't as bad as she thought him to be.

Maybe.

* * *

Random reader: AJKDHLF ;=; You really did write it longer than previous chapters!

ME: THIS MARKS THE END OF THE INTRODUCTION ARC. WHICH MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO TOLERATE THE NEXT ARC, AND IT IS NOT A VERY GOOD ARC TO BE FRANK... BUT IT IS THERE BECAUSE IT _NEEDS_ TO BE THERE FOR THE PLOT TO DEVELOP FURTHER.

Random reader: Why the frick are you even talking in caps?

ME: MY CAPSLOCK KEY GOT EATEN BY ME BECAUSE I WAS TOO HUNGRY WHILE I WAS TRYING TO EDIT THIS WHOLE THING. NOW, BACK TO MY POINT. THE NEXT ARC WILL TAKE A TOTAL OF ABOUT THREE CHAPTERS TO COMPLETE UNLESS I DECIDED TO BUNCH THEM ALL UP INTO ONE CHAPTER.

Random reader: ...

ME: I'LL POST THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON, BUT IT MIGHT TAKE SLIGHTLY LONGER... BECAUSE THIS WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK I AM GOING TO BE FREE (WHICH IS WHY I DECIDED TO EVEN UPDATE THIS FIC THIS WEEK IN THE FIRST PLACE) SO I CAN'T REALLY PROMISE ANYTHING UNLIKE THE LAST UPDATE... T_T *TEARS UP*

Random Reader: Dude you're insane.

ME: PLEASE **REVIEW** AND **COMMENT** C: Y'KNOW YOU WANT TO, CAUSE IT (BRIBERY) KEEPS ME HAPPY :D

Random Reader: You'd better update...

P/S: Len, Rin and Meiko aren't the only ones in this fic. Each time an arc starts, more people will be introduced. The next arc will feature somebody familiar~ (Guess :D)


	6. The Missing Jade

This was a pain to type out. But I did. And I decided to post a chapter before I get busy next week. Which means that this chapter is probably going to be my last update for this month and the next.

I'd like to thank the reviewers for reviewing last chapter. And also, non-reviewers who have been following this fic up till now. I can't do anything but give you regular updates from now on, so...

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters, thanks :D

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 6: The Missing Jade**

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It was a beautiful day. The weather was surprisingly good, with the strong breeze and the soft sunrays. It was the kind of day when one would prefer to sleep in throughout the day because the temperature just felt so good, and because yesterday had never been better.

Kagamine Rin drew her soft cotton blanket closer to her small frame, and cracked one eye open to gaze at the wooden ceiling. There was a single crack there, and the sunlight was already seeping through.

She sat up, allowing herself to relinquish in the warmth of the soft sunrays and the coolness of the breeze; it wasn't everyday that she'd get the chance to enjoy such a fine weather since it was usually always blazing hot.

Her mind drifted back to the conversation that she had with Len yesterday.

True, she had slept well yesterday night, but there was something about that conversation that had constantly bothered her even when she slept.

It was something that Rin had asked, and the way Len had reacted.

_"What has that jade got to do with anything, huh?"_

_Len's expression immediately darkened._

She started thinking again; the way Len had reacted and the way he talked about the jade yesterday almost made her think that he was trying to keep something from her.

Well, she had asked him for more information about how he had thought the jade her mother had left her was connected with the ability to see him, and instead of answering her with a proper reply she thought most people would do, he averted that question and changed the topic within a few minutes.

That was definitely suspicious.

With a soft sigh, Rin tugged her hands into her pocket and pulled out her old and slightly tattered brown pouch. She opened it and tilted the whole pouch upside down, causing its contents to slide out of it easily.

There were several notes and silver coins that fell out along with the jade her mother had left her. She rolled her eyes and made a mental note to ask Meiko for more money when she had the chance to; she was running out of cash soon—it was obvious whose fault it was—and if she didn't get enough money, she wouldn't be able to get Len food from the market.

She let her slender fingers trail down the jade's smooth and shiny surface, and stared at the red ruby embedded in the center of the whole jade with amusement flickering behind her cat-like eyes; she had never noticed the red ruby before since she had never bothered examining it that thoroughly.

Now that she had noticed it, though, she found the ruby in the middle of the jade to be much more beautiful and captivating than the jade itself. It was carved into a strange shape, and Rin could almost swear that the shape was something she had seen somewhere before…

Ah, yes. It was the shape of the spade she had seen in cards previously before.

It was shimmering brilliantly under the soft sunrays, and the way it shimmered made it much more alluring as compared to the jade itself.

Kagamine Rin tried to avert her eyes away from the brilliant piece of crimson, but found it almost impossible to do so; her eyes were practically glued to the exquisite workmanship, and it almost seemed as if something within the ruby was beckoning for her to look at it and _only_ it.

She only snapped out of her stupor when she heard the noisy clanking of metal against metal combined with Meiko's rough voice outside.

She blinked several times before deciding to just dump the jade and the rest of the notes and coins she had back into the pouch.

A frown graced itself upon Rin's lips. How could something like that piece of jade be connected to her ability to see Len? It had looked harmless, and it was also too beautiful to be something so… so malicious. It was literally impossible for it to grant her such ability!

With a giggle escaping from her lips, Rin decided that she must have looked silly while she was desperately trying to connect something that had no importance and value at all with her ability to see Len; Len must've been referring to something else, and she must've misinterpreted everything from the conversation she had yesterday night.

She leapt out of bed, reminding herself that it was almost past afternoon, and she had to head outside to do some grocery-shopping before the stalls in the marketplace closed.

She remembered she had to bring some food to Len later on in the night. And she figured it would be good for her to whip up some dishes this time.

He had helped bandage up her feet, after all.

* * *

Kagamine Rin was busily changing into a fresh new set of clothes when she heard several knocks on the door.

She spewed out some incoherent mumbles here and there, and decided to leave the door as it was; somebody _had _to go and answer the door and she didn't always want to be the stupid one to do that.

Well, that was what she had always been saying for the past few years, but the brunette would usually demand her to get the door. And somehow, she'd always oblige, no matter how busy she was.

As expected, the brunette _did_ call out for her. "Rin! Get the door—"

"—Stupid," Rin muttered coolly under her breath while making her way quickly outside; she was thinking of ways to murder the stranger standing outside the entrance of her house for knocking the door and thus causing a need to answer that prick of a thing she called a door.

"WHAT?" Kagamine Rin screamed at the first thing she saw when she slammed the door open forcibly. A vein was visible at the side of her head.

Her expression softened, however, when she noticed a familiar-looking lady with turquoise pigtails staring back at her with an expression that could very well match hers. The lady was well dressed in a simple white dress in contrast to Rin's black one, and the dress looked as if it was made of fine and expensive silk.

She looked rich. She looked familiar. But Rin couldn't tell why she thought she was familiar.

"Thanks for making me feel welcomed," the lady with the pigtails mumbled with sarcasm dripping venomously in her voice, "I feel so darn _happy_ that I am actually received by _someone_ who is in a _good_ mood today. Yay."

Guilt bubbled in Rin's chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"What," The refined lady said with a frown etched in her face, "that's it? No 'Hey, you're back!' or anything like that?"

Now Kagamine Rin was truly confused.

Who in the world was this lady? She acted like she knew Rin, and Rin did feel like she knew her from before, but… But she couldn't recognize or identify her! Why, then, did she look so familiar?

She stared at the lady blankly. "Who the heck are you?"

The lady with the cute pigtails seemed a little taken aback by this question; she jumped a little, and stared back at Rin with horror and shock written all over her face.

But Rin still couldn't recognize her.

"You… You really don't know me?" The lady questioned with a doubtful expression plastered on her face.

"I don't," Rin answered her question with an equally doubtful expression on her face.

The doubtful expression on the lady's face was replaced by hurt. "Wow. I thought you'd at least recognize your _friend_."

Rin gazed at the lady standing in front of her with a thoughtful expression. She mentioned that she was a friend of hers, but the only _real_ friend she had was Hatsune Miku, and Miku had already moved to the city along with her brother Mikuo three years ago. Other than Miku herself, she didn't really recall making any other friends…

Then she was hit by sudden realization.

"Holy—" Rin hung her mouth wide open in shock. "—M-Miku?"

"Finally," Miku answered with an annoyed pout on her face, "I was wondering when you'd remember me. Or if you remembered me at _all_, for the record."

"Holy crap," Rin exclaimed with disbelief, "Miku! Y-you… Y-you look different!"

Hatsune Miku had indeed looked different; the Miku from three years ago had choppy and dirty long turquoise hair, and was always dressed up in a simple torn and tattered shirt. She was as poor as Rin, and she was always wallowing in self-pity since she didn't have any self-esteem at all.

But… But this Miku was completely different. She radiated an aura of confidence and authority, and she was dressed up like a fine aristocrat. Her hair was neat and tidy and properly tied up in pigtails. In short, she looked like somebody who didn't belong here at _all_.

Miku giggled. "You're only saying that because you didn't recognize me at all, Rin."

"No, it's true—" Rin explained, spreading her hands, "—you look really different! You look like, I don't know, some rich kid—"

"—Okay, I got it," Miku said, smiling brightly at Rin, "but you can be assured that I'm still the same old Miku, grumpy old Rin."

"Old?" Rin said with a giggle, "I'm not _old_, you little leek—"

Kagamine Rin frowned when the voice of Meiko grumbling and complaining about how she was being such a noisy kid echoed throughout the spacious room. She decided to put an end to the conversation and bring it elsewhere instead.

"You know what?" She asked Miku with a playful wink, "let's go to the marketplace and talk on our way there."

"But I—!"

She didn't wait for Miku to finish her answer; she simply grabbed Miku's arm and jolted out of the door and into the busy streets despite the cries of protests that were slipping out of the refined lady's delicate lips.

She could feel Miku's glare on her back, and she suppressed a shiver; hell hath no fury than a woman scorned, and Miku in fury was, well, comparable with hell itself since the offending female was known to be the most violent woman on the streets back then.

Not wanting to suffer the wrath of the offending female, Rin decided to let go of the lady with a nervous giggle.

Hatsune Miku rolled her eyes and trotted right in front of Rin with her arms folded behind the back of her head.

She walked faster and faster, causing Rin to stumble and struggle just to catch up with her pace. She smiled, though; Miku was still the same Miku, and old habits _did_ die hard since she had always been the fastest one among all the other girls.

She finally managed to adapt to the pace that Miku was walking at, and dragged her feet lazily beside her.

Rin had a few questions she'd like answered, though. She wanted to know why Miku was in the village instead of the city like she thought she'd be, and also she'd like to know why she had changed so much… in terms of appearance, that is.

There was also Mikuo she'd like to ask about.

They were both walking in complete and deafening silence until Rin decided to open her big mouth to ask Miku said questions.

"Miku," she said, her voice a little shaky, "I thought you'd moved to the city?"

Miku turned her head to peer at Rin curiously. "I… did."

"Then," Rin started, staring at Miku with a lost expression, "why did you come back to this village?"

Wrong move.

Miku's face darkened considerably, and Rin's eyes widened. The bright smile on her face was gone just like that, within a _flash_, and she looked… she looked so strange, and it was almost as if she wasn't the same Miku she had talked to just a few minutes ago.

She looked like a stranger.

It reminded her of Len's expression yesterday night.

She was suddenly afraid.

Rin pursed her lips in fear, not knowing what to say next; she was stupid enough to have had opened her _big_ mouth to ask Miku about the wrong things at the complete wrong time. It was always like this with her; even she didn't know why she just had to open her mouth there and then, and now… she was starting to regret it immensely.

Now, how was she supposed to brighten up the mood? Should she just ignore Miku and let her calm down by herself?

Or should she switch the topic like what Len did?

She didn't know what to do.

A voice made Rin look up. "What's with that look?"

Rin almost flinched when she saw the smile on Miku's face. The horrible expression on her face just now had disappeared and was replaced by this sweet and bright smile she'd always had.

She was acting like she did a few minutes ago.

She was acting like nothing had transpired at all.

"N-nothing," Rin answered, albeit a little too quickly for her liking, "I was just thinking."

"Geez," Miku stated with a pout, "I thought you were mad at me for not answering your question for a moment there."

"Sorry," Rin added quickly, "I… wasn't."

She didn't feel comfortable lying to people, but she could pull it off. Besides, Rin wasn't entirely lying; she really wasn't _entirely_ mad at her for not answering her question. She was just… just a little disappointed at her. And… and perhaps a little afraid.

Something in the back of her mind told her that Miku came back to the village because of Mikuo. And she didn't even know why she thought that.

Speaking of which, Miku had moved to the city three years ago for some unknown reason she'd never talked about. Apparently Rin didn't know of her plans to move, and when Miku and Mikuo had left the village, it left Rin devastated and upset; she thought that they didn't like her anymore.

This made Rin realize that Miku was keeping tons of secrets from her.

Kagamine Rin was so engrossed in her wild imaginations and thoughts; she didn't even realize somebody approaching her.

As a result, she collided with said person; both of them were thrown onto the ground by the propelling force. Rin landed onto the ground with a sharp and pained yelp, and Miku immediately leaned down to help sit her up.

"Shit—" Rin groaned, her hands flying to where her bandaged foot had been injured yesterday night in an instant, "—now, _that_ had hurt—"

Miku began to pat Rin's back in order to soothe the pain, but it was in vain; her foot had already been hurt excruciatingly from yesterday night, and this… this stranger here _had_ to walk up to here and knock her down!

"Are… are you all right?" The stranger asked, seemingly unfazed by Rin's glare. She had golden blonde hair like Rin's, but hers was like the color of the intense sunrays when it was afternoon. Her hair was tied up in a single long ponytail to the left of her head.

"What do you think?" Rin spat, lifting her finger and pointing it at her damaged and bandaged foot.

"I didn't mean it," the stranger mumbled, her voice a little hoarse, "does it really hurt that badly?"

"My foot was _already_ injured," Rin answered with an irritated look, "and now you've made it _worse_."

"Rin," Miku whispered softly in Rin's ears, causing Rin to tremble a little at the contact, "let's… let's just leave it the way it is, okay? People are… people are staring—"

"—I won't leave until I've received a proper apology from her," Rin stated with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Fine." The stranger looked up. "What's your name, then?"

"Kagamine Rin," Rin replied with a victorious smirk.

A surprised shriek escaped Rin's lips when Miku smacked the back of her shoulders with her hand; it had felt like a freaking rock, or maybe even an iron, and it had hurt a lot.

Rin turned to glare at her. "What—"

"—You _idiot_," Miku hissed in her ears, "you don't go around telling strangers your name!"

Rin's face turned icy blue when Miku finished her sentence. She then realized that this was indeed the real world—the real world was always harsh, unlike dreams—and the person in front of her was a stranger that she didn't even know or meet yet, and here she was giving her _full name_ to this stranger!

"Kagamine Rin," the stranger stood up and said with a polite bow, "I apologize for causing you to fall."

Rin heaved a sigh of relief at this sentence. It didn't seem like the stranger was cunning and conniving enough to take her name and do some strange things with it.

At least she was decent enough to apologize.

Rin felt a pang of guilt in her chest; she hadn't apologized yet.

She was about to say something like "Now that I think of it, I should apologize too" but the stranger had, without saying anything more, already turned to walk down the streets of crowded people.

She figured it would be useless to try and catch up with her.

"Come on," Miku said, pulling Rin up slowly with a smile, "let's go."

With a nod, Rin decided to let herself be pulled down across the busy streets and into the marketplace by Miku.

The marketplace was already a little deserted. Tons of stalls were already closed for the day. The only few stall that were opened were those that were selling vegetables and certain harvests. The ones that were selling poultry had already managed to sell out everything.

Rin felt disappointed. How was she going to whip up those dishes she had planned on cooking?

Oh well, there weren't any meat, but that didn't mean that Rin couldn't whip up some other dishes. She still could cook, but her choices were limited.

She briefly considered stew, but… but that wouldn't really fill up the stomach, would it?

Well. She could whip up some salad, and some stew. Perhaps that'd do the trick.

With a grin, Rin pulled Miku to the nearest stall with vegetables on sale, and gazed at the condition of the potatoes and carrots before she used her skilled hands to pick up some of them.

"Wow," Miku voiced out, impressed by the way she could pick the vegetables, "you… you _do_ know a few things here and there, don't you?"

"Well," Rin teased, "don't you?"

Miku puffed her mouth in annoyance and turned away from Rin. Rin barely suppressed a giggle at the thought of how childish Miku still was.

She was still the same. Well, almost…

"How much for these, Ma'am?" Rin asked, flashing the pieces of potatoes and carrots she had so specifically picked to the stall-tender.

"Oh," the old woman behind the stall cackled, and it reminded Rin of a witch, "Those would be ninety cenz **(1)**."

Rin flashed her a toothy and cheeky grin before putting the vegetables down on the table. One of her hands reached inside her pocket to retrieve the pouch that she had taken out this morning, but…

But it wasn't there.

She panicked. She began to probe her hand in all sorts of direction, and tried to at least _feel_ for the pouch, but there… there was nothing.

Miku seemed to have noticed her desperation. "What… what's wrong?"

"My pouch," Rin uttered, scrunching her eyebrows together, "it's not in my pocket!"

Miku was in a shock. "What?"

"I put it inside this morning," Rin muttered, recalling that she had _indeed_ placed her pouch inside her pocket this morning, "I swear!"

"Maybe you left it somewhere just now," Miku said.

Kagamine Rin broke out in cold sweat. She was very afraid to be honest, and it wasn't the fact that her money had gone missing along with the pouch; it was the fact that the jade—yes, that very jade that her mother had left her with—had gone missing along with the pouch, and now, she couldn't seem to find it anywhere!

If anything, the jade was more important to her than the money inside.

She'd rather lose the money.

"I'm sure I left it inside," Rin stated, biting one of her nails in anxiousness.

"Hun," the stall-tender said out in a voice that chilled Rin to the core, "maybe you've dropped it somewhere?"

Rin started to think carefully.

Yes, it was certainly possible. Her pocket was not that deep down, and the pouch could very well just slide out of it.

But…

Where would she have dropped her pouch?

* * *

**(1)** : This is just some random currency I made up. Argh.

Yes, I know what you're all thinking. There's NO LEN IN THIS CHAPTER! NOEES! OH!

Well, I apologize but it had to be done. I had to establish something first to deepen the plot later on.

Think everything's too peaceful right now? Just wait for the next chapter. And the next next chapter. You'll... see, eventually, why this part about the jade is important. :D -hides-

I am thinking about getting a beta-reader. Should I, or should I not? D:

Oh, and... I might post a surprise chapter a few days later. Who knows? It all depends on how busy I am, though, but I truly doubt I'll be posting for the whole month next month D:

Okay, you guys know the drill, don't cha? **Review**, please, and y'know... You'll get a... dandelion? -grins-


	7. A Brother to Love

Okay, so this is, like, a really late update, and I had this whole chapter here rewritten tons of times before I actually decided to publish it. So, yeah. I wasn't really planning to update, but the review from** LAVEN-YULLEN **managed to remind me of the existence of this story. :D

So yeah, if you want to thank anyone for this update, thank him/her.

Well, before I actually get on with the chapter, I'd like to thank all the reviewers who managed to review last chapter.

**StepByStep** - Thank you for the compliment~ :D

**hidarichan81** - Well, you'll just have to read on to find out, I guess~ ;D Thanks for the review!

**Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan** - Maybe. I can't answer your question yet, though, because that'd spoil the whole thing, wouldn't it? Hmm. Thanks for the review!~ :D

**OnigiRimi** - Really? You can be my beta reader? 8D That'd be awesome! I'm clueless, though - how do I actually send the file to the beta reader to get it proof read? Sorry, I'm kind of, like, an idiot when it comes to this. x.x Thanks for the review!~

**Nekochan** - I know this update's late, but... but... -sobs-

**Rawr129** - Hmm. You have good guesses, actually, but I'm afraid I can't really reveal much, can I? XD Thanks for the awesome review! :D~

**orangeer** - Aww, shucks, I hate homework. I've been procrastinating for ages, lol, and... and... well, I kind of miss writing and posting stuff online on this website. Thanks for all the compliment and the wonderful reviews! You're an awesome reviewer!~ :D

**CookieMonster599** - Nah, it's okay. Yeah. I'll be adding more characters. Thank you for the review! :D

**Bubblycutie** - A late update's herree, dumdumdduumm... I hope you'll forgive me T_T~

**LAVEN-YULLEN** - Ahhh! This may be a late update, but... but... -pops out of nowhere with a shield in hand- I updated! :D Thanks for the review because it actually reminded me that I still had to work on this story here. :D~

Also, this chapter is dedicated to all the reviewers as usual. I'm a lazy ass, I know, and I probably deserve to get tomato-sized. (Err, is there such a word? XD)

Right, people. I made this chapter the longest one by far. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters. Or Chapter one, because you'd most likely get another "Refer to previous chapters" if you really _did_ refer to the previous chapter. :D

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* * *

**"The Red Spade" - Act 7: A Brother to Love  
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* * *

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A fine sheen of sweat coated Kagamine Rin's rosy cheeks, and she puffed her rosy and warm cheeks in annoyance; she could not find or even _see_ anything resembling her worn out brown pouch on the ground, and it had also been almost an hour since she'd realized that it had went missing.

She threw one last scrutinizing glance on the ground before she averted her gaze to the woman beside her.

Hatsune Miku was crouched down on the ground with her eyes busily scanning for any traces of said pouch. Both sides of her cheeks were roseate and her face was completely drained of the energy and enthusiasm it previously had; it was replaced by exhaustion and fatigue instead.

Her hair was also in complete disarray, which is a striking contrast from before. Instead of the healthy and vibrant shine it once had, the turquoise strands of hair had been stained with disgusting sweat, and also filth from the air. Her pigtails also had unnecessary strands of hair sticking out oddly at strange angles.

Kagamine Rin was wracked with feelings of guilt. She stared at the oblivious female, and began chewing on her bottom lip unconsciously; it was her fault that she'd landed in this state. She shouldn't be expecting her help with something that was obviously her problem and also her sole responsibility.

She decided to assuage that feeling of guilt in her heart by pretending to be unconcerned about the pouch so that they, or at least Miku, would be able to get a rest from all this searching in the ridiculous humidity amongst the crowd.

"Let's… Let's head back," Rin croaked and forced a smile on her face, trying her best to sound as convincing as possible.

"_You_ can head back," Miku offered, tilting her head in an unnatural-looking angle to look at Rin, "I'll stay here and continue looking."

Rin's smile melted into a deep frown as she uttered the next few words wistfully. "But it's getting late and I don't think—"

"—Rin." Miku's voice almost made her quiver and jump; it had some sort of a sharp and icy edge to it, and it sounded sort of harsh, like those tones mothers would use to chide a child. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm perfectly fine."

"We haven't had any progress," Rin uttered, her voice strangely soft and fragile, reminding herself of a weak porcelain doll, "and we've been searching for so… so long!"

She stifled a sniff and pursed her forehead in pensive thought; where would it have had gone? They had already searched the ground thoroughly, and Rin was sure that she even had her eyes cracked wide open throughout the whole searching procedure. Yet, there was no sign of her pouch anywhere.

"There's something I've been thinking about, Rin," Miku whispered hoarsely, picking herself up slowly from the ground, "We've been looking for your pouch on the ground. What… What if it's not on the ground at all?"

Rin raised her brow in a questioning gaze, expecting Miku to fill her in with more details about her claim. "What do you mean?"

"It is missing," Miku elaborated with an exaggerated expression, "but… _but_ that doesn't mean it's not _stolen_."

"Stolen?" Rin quoted, and a look of incredulity spread across her features, "you think it was stolen?"

She stopped to reminisce about the events that took place today, and thought of various people and things she'd come across; there was Miku in the morning, but she doubt it was Miku who'd taken her pouch because, well, she was the one who suggested that it was stolen and Rin honestly believed that Miku was just not that type of person to harbor such intentions. Then there was that girl she had knocked down in the middle of the streets just now…

Then it all came rushing to the back of her mind at once.

That girl had been suspicious looking, hadn't she? She had knocked her down, and had left hastily after a short apology without demanding one from Rin herself. In fact, that girl was the only plausible suspect she had in her mind, because that girl was the only one Rin had came into contact with other than Miku.

"Crap—" Rin murmured in discontentment, "—I think I have a suspect in mind."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Miku stated, "because I'm thinking of that stranger you had bumped into just now."

They were thinking of the complete same thing, but Miku had thought of it earlier than Rin did. Rin had been so obsessed in believing that her pouch had slid out of her careless hands, she didn't even stop by to at least consider the fact that a thief in the village might have stolen her pouch.

She silently cursed herself for letting her guard down.

"We have to find her," Miku said, with flames of determination lighting up her eyes, "I think we'll recover it if we find her."

Kagamine Rin was delighted to hear of this at first, but her excitement died down when she considered that the girl who had knocked her down was a _thief_, and thieves always had precautionary measures in their minds. There wasn't a thief she'd met in her whole life that would stay in the exact same spot after a day's worth of successful looting.

"But she should have already escaped," Rin exclaimed in a heated tone, "not to mention that the size of the village is huge. How are we going to cover everything within a day?"

"We're not going to accomplish anything if we just stand here, are we?" Miku addressed in a way that made Rin feel assured somehow.

Rin pursed her lips and considered this fact for a brief moment. There was still a chance she'd be able to recover that lost pouch—or the jade—and she really had nothing to lose in doing more work, right?

But… there was Miku. And Miku wasn't supposed to be dragged down into this.

"Come on," Miku said in an impatient tone, "let's just go. We have no more time to waste; the sooner we get this done, the better it is for us."

With a nod, Rin decided to compromise with Miku's plan for the moment. She had a point right there; her hesitation was only making things worse.

"Where do you think we should start?" Rin asked curiously.

"If you were a thief," Miku stated, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "where would you run off to after stealing something from your victim?"

That was a good question. _Where_ would Rin run off to if she were a thief? There were tons of places she could run off to, but which area were considered the safest for her?

It was, of course, the most dangerous place in the village.

"The woods," Rin answered, her thoughts drifting to Len immediately.

Well, come to think of it, Len had lived in the woods, hadn't he? Perhaps he'd know of this thief… also, he wasn't entirely human, was he? It was possible for him to use his supernatural powers to help her look for that girl, right?

But would Len be willing to help her?

And she couldn't just bring Miku inside to where he was. Miku was bent on looking for the pouch with Rin, and Len had already warned her not to tell anyone else about him.

She wasn't going to do that again.

Not especially after he had threatened to kill Meiko.

"Right," Miku replied, pulling Rin back to reality from the depths of her imagination, "let's start with that place."

She took Rin's hand and tugged her forward, dragging her across the streets and pushing through the crowd forcefully, thus causing some of the people to grumble in dissatisfaction. Somewhere in the middle, Hatsune began to break into a run, and Rin had to struggle with her pathetic speed to catch up with her.

The both of them only stopped when they were finally facing the entrance of the woods in the far end of the village; they were gasping desperately for air and their panting sounds could be heard echoing in the area.

"W-wow," Miku panted, her eyes drifting to the darkness within the woods, "I… I didn't think it would have changed this drastically…"

Ah, but of course. The woods had gotten bigger since the last time they'd met.

Kagamine Rin was about to take a step forward when she heard someone speaking of something that aroused her interest.

"… and you know, that was how the pendant was created. It is said to be completely capable of nullifying evil powers, reviving the dead and also purifying the soul to create a physical form of a man," a man spoke, and Rin noticed a bunch of onlookers listening to his tale, "but no one knows if it truly exists. Its powers are also unknown, and…"

"—Rin!" A yell beside her broke Rin from her trance, "come on!"

Rin snapped up to look at Miku. She had almost forgotten that she was there.

But… there was something that the taleteller had mentioned that had intrigued Rin.

She sighed, and pushed her thoughts away from her mind.

With one last daunting glance at the taleteller, she gave Miku a nod and slipped into the woods.

* * *

Kagamine Rin frowned for the fifth time ever since she'd set foot in this place.

Miku had been clinging tightly onto her arm since just now, and she could sense the fear she felt in her look; her teeth were chattering nonstop, and her face was completely pale and void of the healthy shade of pink it once had. Her lips were chapped and dry as if she had not eaten or drank anything for days now.

Rin was annoyed. She was very annoyed, in fact, but she resisted the urge to pry Miku's hands away from her arms.

"H-hey," Miku whispered, her voice barely audible, "do y-you think t-there are g-ghosts here?"

Rin snickered. So Miku was afraid of such things, after all. "Well, there might be one if it gets dark…"

"S-stupid." Miku removed her hands temporary from Rin's arm, and gave her a soft and harmless push to the back. "D-don't scare me l-like that!"

"Ouch, that hurt!" Rin feigned a hurt look, and tapped Miku on her back. "You were the one who had asked me, Miku."

Miku sulked, pouting her lips in an unwomanly manner. "L-let's just g-get this done and o-over with… It's g-getting dark."

Rin gazed at her surroundings with a puzzled expression. Other than the two of them, there weren't really anything else that was _humane_ here.

There were small little birds that looked like sparrows and quails to Rin hopping from one place to another—she didn't care, frankly—and ants crawling on the tree trunks and the dirty ground.

But… there wasn't even a single sign of the female thief she'd met this morning.

And by the looks of it, nobody else seemed to be here.

_Nobody else except Len_, Rin added mentally in her mind.

Was she wrong about the thief hiding in the woods? There were other probable places as well.

But…

Where could the thief be?

"H-hey," Miku suddenly said, her eyes gleaming with interest, "I t-think I see a house!"

Rin couldn't stop herself from mouthing something foul and crude when Miku gripped her wrists tightly and started making her way through one of the cleared paths without any warning beforehand.

Kagamine Rin grunted and snorted. How in the world would there be a house in the woods? This was stupid. There were no houses here except for the one her grandmother—

She froze and widened her eyes as they approached the 'house' Miku was ranting on about a few minutes ago.

It was the cottage Len was residing in.

Shit. Kagamine Rin was literally screwed. She had been so caught up in thinking about that thief just now; she hadn't even noticed that they had been nearing the cottage Len was staying in.

She had to do something. She had to get Miku out of here, and _away_ from this cottage before she decided to go waltzing in like a clueless idiot; she couldn't see Len, but Len _could_ see her. And if Len did see her, what would he do to her? She couldn't imagine.

Would he kill her?

She widened her eyes in horror when Miku made a gesture to knock on the wooden door.

Rin did the first thing she could think of right there and then since she had absolutely no time to start considering about what she should do; she grabbed Miku's hands forcibly and pulled her hands away from the door.

Miku let a sharp yelp that startled her.

"What the heck, Rin?" Miku turned to look at Rin accusingly while pulling her hands out of Rin's smaller ones.

Rin gave her a short and nervous laugh. She had to think of an excuse and that excuse had to be _quick_, _simple_, _quick_, _simple_, _simple_—

"I think we shouldn't go in there," Rin said with the feigned smile still on her face.

"What?" Miku made a face. "Why not?"

Rin stared at Miku with half-closed eyes. "Because."

"… Yeah?"

"Just because."

"Because _what_."

"Because…" Rin started to perspire nervously.

"Okay, this is stupid." Miku frowned. "I'm going in."

"But there's a ghoul in there," Rin finished lamely. She couldn't believe that she had to use that stupid excuse out of all the excuses she could think of.

It was an obvious, blatant lie.

She was almost hundred percent positive that Miku wouldn't fall for that cheap and lame lie.

"Really?" Miku lifted an eyebrow.

_No_. "Yeah. I heard it, y'know, in the village and such."

Miku seemed to hesitate for a moment, and she peered closely at Rin's face in doubt. She must have looked like she was lying, because that was when Miku turned away from her to look at the door.

"I'm going in anyway," she stated, taking a step forward until she was about a few inches away from the door.

"Wait!" Rin pursed her lips. "Weren't you afraid of ghosts just a few moments ago? There might be tons of them inside!"

"The thief might be inside, Rin. I can't… I can't bring myself to let the thief have a chance to escape just because of my selfishness."

Rin almost choked. How on Earth was she going to succeed in preventing Miku from going in when she was this adamant?

She grumbled when Miku finally opened the door forcefully with a kick, and stepped inside.

She followed behind, eyeing around suspiciously for any signs of the blonde.

Rin let out a satisfied and soft sigh when there were no traces of said blonde. The room appeared to be in a complete mess again since items and furniture were strewn and scattered everywhere, but that wasn't really new news to her.

She heard a delicate frown coming from the lady in front.

"Geez," She heard her say, "I thought we'd finally conclude the search, and here we are again… in square one."

Rin felt a pang of guilt hit her like tidal waves. "Sorry."

But she had been lucky, hadn't she? If Len had been here, then she couldn't imagine what he would do…

Miku trotted carefully to where the wooden stools were, and pulled one out from beneath the table. She sat on it almost lovingly and humbly like a butterfly landing gracefully atop a flower.

Rin rolled her eyes.

"Sit." Miku motioned to one of the many stools placed under the table, and managed to pull one out nimbly with her slender hands.

Rin did as told, minus the 'graceful' part.

"Look," Miku started, dragging her nails on top of the scratchy surface of the table, "I know we've been searching for a few hours, and there have been no leads to where the lady has gone to or whom that lady was, but I just want to say… Don't give up whatever you do, okay?"

Rin gulped under Miku's intense gaze.

"I mean," Miku continued, "I know you well enough to see that you have apparently thought of giving up during the course of the search, but I just want you to know that nothing is impossible, so… so you can't give up readily, not since your pouch is that important to you."

Rin giggled. She sounded so much like her brother, Mikuo.

Mikuo.

Speaking of him, what had happened to him?

She knew him when they were kids, and they had been pretty close with each other, but ever since he moved into the city with her brother, she hadn't heard or seen him at all.

She was curious.

"You sound like Mikuo," Rin uttered carelessly, voicing out the first thing that came into her mind just now.

She immediately yelped and covered her mouth with her hand.

How careless of her! She knew this had been a sensitive topic to Miku, and she was this… this insensitive to her feelings to mention him in front of her!

As expected, Miku's grin immediately disappeared and was replaced with a sad frown.

Her eyes had also widened a little.

"Sorry," Rin blabbered, "I didn't mean to mention—"

"—no, it's… it's alright," Miku intercepted, "You… you have the rights to know, I suppose. You were close to him. Just like how you were close to me."

Rin widened her eyes at the tiny shimmering little substance at the tip of Miku's eyes. They looked like… tears.

Was she crying?

Miku lowered her gaze to the floor, and she looked as if she was combing the floor for any traces of ants crawling or the like.

"You… You know, I really loved my brother. Mikuo was such a great guy, and he would always be there for me no matter how busy he was," Miku sniffed, "I was really proud to have him as my brother, and I'd say he was also the best brother I could ever have in my whole life."

Rin merely nodded, listening to her woes carefully.

"When we moved to the city, it was really great, being with him and all. I could tell that he missed you, but… but he didn't really voice it out or anything like that."

Rin continued remaining silent, watching and listening carefully to what Miku was saying; she knew that Miku wouldn't like it if anyone weren't listening to her while she was speaking.

"He… he went out hunting one day, stating that he had some business to do or something like that. I let him, but I regretted after that, because when he returned back home the next morning, his whole body was covered with gashes and bruises, and he… he was unconscious, carried by one of the villages that found him wounded in the middle of the wounds.

"He was bleeding. I… I was so scared. I was so, _so_ scared. Never in my life had I felt so… so _terrified_, so afraid and so worried. When I brought him to the doctor's, he said that Mikuo was injured by something _unknown_, and the wound on him was very… unique and strange.

"The doctor also mentioned that Mikuo's respiratory system was rapidly slowing down. He wouldn't wake up, and would remain unconscious until the day his heart finally stops beating. It was some kind of illness, some sick, strange and grave and deadly illness he'd never seen before in his life, and… and it was going to be incurable."

This time, Rin sniffed.

Mikuo was going to _die_.

Wasn't he?

"But… But I didn't give up. I continued looking for all sorts of doctors, and… and my search paid off, because I… I finally found a cure."

"Really?" Rin's ears perked up with interest.

Miku feigned a smile, but it looked pained more than anything else.

"You wanted to know why I came back to this village, did you not?"

Rin nodded. Was she actually going to tell her the real reason why she came back to this village now?

"Well, there was the cure, and… I haven't found the cure yet, but…"

Rin suddenly trembled.

Something wasn't right.

Miku's face had gone dark again, and it was so unlike her because Miku would not just go around showing this… this face to other people, not especially her friends.

There was some sort of a strange glint in Miku's eyes. Something Rin was unable to comprehend. It was as if… as if Miku was bloodthirsty.

The tone of her voice seemed weird as well. It sounded like a growl, like… like those voices you'd hear from a cackling psychopathic witch living in the middle of the forest before she attempted to kill a human or torture a human.

It was creepy.

It was scary.

Rin was trying to convince herself that this was not Miku.

"The cure…" Miku whispered, and Rin shivered, "The cure is supposed to be in _this_ village…"

She ushered closer to Rin, placing her elbows on the table and leaning to Rin as close as possible.

"It might just be _beside_ me…"

Rin gulped. She couldn't breathe.

"It might just be… in _front _of me."

Again. What was this feeling? Something horrible was ripping her heart apart.

Rin was filled with trepidation.

"Or it might just be _you_."

This was it.

Rin stood up and pushed Miku away from the table with a startled hiss.

Miku was starting to scare her. Miku was trying to kill her, wasn't she? She was trying to kill her with her bloody words and her strange and bizarre actions!

She widened her eyes when Miku started laughing out loudly in the room.

"What the hell?" She hissed, her eyes observing Miku as her shoulders heaved up and down from laughter.

"Sorry," Miku mumbled amidst laughter, "B-but… But it was t-too funny! Y-your expression!"

Rin huffed and puffed her cheeks in anger. "You were _joking _with me?"

"W-well," Miku uttered, her laughter dying down slowly, "You started it first, with the story of the ghouls and whatnot in this cottage! You were the one attempting to scare me first, so I decided to play rough and managed to come up with this witty comeback."

"Witty?" Rin whispered, "You call _this_ witty? You cheap idiot, I believed you and sympathized with you, and this is what I get… a holy shit load of hogwash coming from your dirty drain of a mouth!"

Miku sweat dropped and retreated a few steps behind with her hands pulled out defensively in front of her.

"I mean no harm," Miku mumbled, "… honest! I was just trying to scare you, but… but I didn't expect to get this much of a reaction—"

"—oh, save it," Rin hissed with a vicious snarl on her face, "Just admit that you misused my trust in you. Now I'm never going to trust you again, you little fiend."

Miku continued moving backwards until she hit her back against the wall with a 'thump'.

"But that part about Mikuo was true," Miku started, "and so was that part about the cure being in this village! The only thing I lied about was the cure being somewhere near me or something like that. Oh, and my face was a lie, too."

"Was it scary? Passable, huh?"

Rin did not hesitate to hurl the wooden stool she was sitting on before at her with an exaggerated expression.

It missed, unfortunately, and hit the wall behind Miku with a loud crash. Miku managed to get out of harm's way just in time, and she had been fast enough to do so.

Miku snickered. "Oops, looks like you missed that one, Rin."

Rin growled. This woman here was so going to be on her bloody death list soon, because she had just made use of her feelings and trust in her to scare the daylights and crap out of her soul.

What bothered her wasn't the fact that she had fell for it, but it was the fact that Miku looked unbelievably real.

It was as if it wasn't an act at all, but…

No.

It was…

Stupid.

It was bloody stupid.

"Let's go, Rin," Miku suggested with an annoying wink, "It's getting late."

Rin almost blanched at the way Miku spoke.

She was still fuming mad at Miku, and now she was acting as if nothing had transpired between the both of them! What was wrong with her, really? Could she not see how gravely hurt the 'joke' had made her?

"Oi," Miku mumbled, "Rin, are you listening?"

"_You_ leave," Rin hissed, "I'll stay here as long as I please because I'm still fuming mad at you for playing that stupid jerk of a thing you call a 'joke' on me."

"Come on," Miku urged, "You don't want to be stuck here alone—"

"Honestly, I know what I'm doing, Miku," Rin replied, "I've grown up in this village and I know this place _much _better than _you _do."

Miku opened her mouth, but Rin smirked victoriously when nothing came out of her mouth.

Rin: 1, Miku: 0.

"Fine, but it won't be my problem if you end up lost because you'll most likely be raped by innocent-looking tom peepers in the woods!"

Miku: 1, Rin: 0.

"Oh, and I thought you were going to continue searching for the pouch?" Miku said wryly with a confused expression on her face.

Rin frowned.

"We can do that tomorrow."

"I thought the thief would've left by tomorrow?"

Rin stared blankly at Miku. Why hadn't that crossed her mind before?

"Good point."

Oh, yes. She had thought of it before, but… but Len could actually help her in this matter, couldn't he?

She couldn't execute this plan before because Miku was bent on following her before, but now…

Miku was going to leave soon.

Once Miku had left the woods safely, then Rin would be able to seek Len's assistance in this matter since she wouldn't be around anymore.

Yes, that was ingenious.

Then it wouldn't matter if the thief had left or not; Len was capable of finding her or sniffing her out as a wolf, wasn't he?

"But I'm confident we'll be able to gather her data tomorrow, and she won't get far," Rin added with a smirk.

Oh, yes, she wouldn't be able to get far indeed.

Miku shot her a quizzical look, and she looked bewildered by her strange comment. She pursed her lips, trying to comprehend whatever Rin was saying.

"What do you mean?" Miku questioned, "How is she _not_ going to get far when she _can_ get far by tomorrow?"

"I have my… own… ways."

"Rin—"

"Look," Rin assured her, "Just trust me, okay? Even if it's difficult, I want your trust in this matter for once. _Please_."

Miku seemed to pause for a moment there, toying with the ends of her smooth hair.

"… alright, I'll trust you."

"Thank you." Rin felt a sense of relief was over her. She had been lucky that Miku decided to leave everything the way it was. If she had continued questioning her, then Rin wouldn't be able to come up with some sort of a strange and _believable _answer.

"But," Miku added, "You have to promise me that we'll meet tomorrow morning at the entrance of the marketplace, okay? I'll be there at eight."

"Right." Rin sighed. She was such a kind-natured worrywart.

"If you want, you can look for me in the tavern near that shop we always go to when we're young," Miku shrugged with an annoyed expression glued on her face, "But I doubt you'll do that, grumpy Rin."

"Hello? I haven't got back at you for lying to me back then—"

Miku flashed a cheesy smile at Rin. "I'll leave now. Be careful, okay? If I don't see you tomorrow, I will—"

"Yes, _madam_. I know how to leave this place safe and well. If that is not assuring enough, then I don't know what is."

Miku clicked her tongue, and with a jaunty wave, she slipped out of the door with fluid movements and left.

Rin stared behind her.

Now what was she going to do?

She could wait for Len here… but how long would he take to return?

Where was he, anyway?

She continued to gaze at the unmoving door.

She would wait.

Yes, she would wait.

She would wait for him to return.

* * *

T.B.C.

Alright, so this chapter kind of sucked because it was more of an explanation than anything, but... but I had to elaborate further because... Well, something had to be clarified. The incoming chapters are going to have warnings though, because those chapters may contain violence and gore.

I said something about a dandelion, didn't I? -Hands out dandelion to all reviewers- :D~ Pssh, now, those dandelions are special splendid little plants that... that you can't get from anywhere else. Err, well, yeah... I'm not lying. Of course not! -grins and sweatdrops-

So, yeah, I was thinking of publishing another story that I had already written, and... and I was hesitating mainly because I was afraid it would interrupt the process and flow of this story. Well, I have a question in mind that I want to ask all of you here — Should I, or should I not publish another story? Should I concentrate on this story first?

I'll update my profile with the summary of the incoming fic, and you guys can tell me whether I should save it for later, or, err...

Okay, with that being said, I'd conclude my speech here. Hopefully —Maybe, just _maybe_— I'd be able to get the next chapter out by the next few weeks instead of dragging it for months. And if that doesn't work, you can always threaten me, because, err... Well, I _think _that'll work. Maybe. Just maybe.

Click the "**Review**" thing below (Aww, it's no longer the green, cute little thing I loved!). C'mon, you know you're tempted~ :D


	8. Akita Neru

Oh hai, I'm not dead. I'm... on the edge of the cliff and on the verge of dying, maybe, but not dead. Yet.

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.

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**"The Red Spade" - ACT 8: AKITA NERU**

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Kagamine Rin slowly opened her eyes to the surrounding areas. She winced at the amount of harsh light entering her line of vision, but forced herself to adapt to the brightness of the environment coming mainly from the windows of the small little room.

Wait, small little room?

She jumped, and quickly pulled herself away from the surface of the table. She let her eyes analyze her surroundings slowly and carefully, taking in every little detail and trying to remember and recall last night's events.

Oh, yes. Wasn't she waiting for Len to return the whole night?

She must have dozed off after a while of waiting. She was tired from all the searching, after all.

It wasn't that bad spending the night here, actually. She actually felt better in here than in that old rusty house of hers, and… and she could actually sleep with ease here since she wouldn't have to bear with the sounds of metal clanking loudly and violently against metal every morning.

It had been strangely warm. Rin initially thought that sleeping in this place would be cool and she would most likely freeze or catch a cold or something like that, but none of that happened. She actually felt _good_.

But… but Len hadn't return, had he?

She frowned deeply. What was she going to do now that she hadn't managed to find Len?

The thief must have escaped last night.

She stood up swiftly, and watched with surprise as something soft and warm slipped onto the floor with ease. It was black, and…

It was a coat.

No. It wasn't just any coat.

It was _Len's_ coat.

With a soft gasp escaping from her lips, she bent down and picked it up nimbly with skilled fingers. She let her eyes trail over the soft contours of the fabric, and pulled the material over to her nose to sniff it.

It smelled like Len.

She jerked up slightly, and turned in all four directions, frantically searching for any sight of the blond boy. Her eyes scanned every single corner in the room, including cracks and small little spaces that are possible for him to squeeze or hide in.

But… Len wasn't here.

There were only two possibilities she could come up with in such a scenario—Len was either trying to be very, very _funny_ by doing the disappearing act, or he _had_ been _here_ and he was trying to _avoid_ her.

The second possibility seemed more plausible to Rin. But the question was, why?

She frowned, and she could almost hear and feel something faint drumming deep down in her mind, directly on her temples. Her eyes ached badly and her brain was not functioning properly as it should; she was unable to think straight and to think of what to do next.

Even if Len did not want to help her, there was still Miku.

She didn't need to count on Len.

She wanted to meet Miku. Now.

With an annoyed growl escaping from her delicate lips, Rin flung the dark long coat unceremoniously to the side and walked towards the door.

She slammed the door shut, but before she left the room, she thought she could hear an animalistic growl, followed by a small, sharp whine coming from somewhere behind her…

No, she had to be dreaming.

It just didn't make any sense.

* * *

The way to the entrance of the market place was practically a _chore. _The village was buzzing with a whole lot of people this early in the morning, and the people were madly squeezing and cutting through their way in between any spaces they could find, and this got Rin very, _very_ annoyed and fed up.

She already felt deprived of sleep and fresh air. Her neck was already sore and tired, and her legs already had a few cramps here and there, and now… now she had to deal with the crowd under the hot blazing sun, where humidity was at its best. Really, this was just absolutely _great _for her.

Luckily, though, she managed to spot a familiar leek-lover standing by one of those pillars near the entrance of the market place, where a few stalls were positioned neatly in rows with their goods displayed carefully on the display rack.

Miku looked like she was confused. She was looking all around, analyzing the crowd slowly with her sharp catlike eyes, but… but she hadn't seen Rin. Not yet.

Rin shoved her way through the crowd, accidentally brushing past some of the people who then produced discontented grunts and complains followed by stares and glares.

Ah, the blur girl had not noticed her yet… Or was it because Rin was too _short _to be seen?

She gave Miku a friendly tap on the shoulder, and grinned cheekily at her when she turned around swiftly to give a cold, hard stare. Her hostility softened and disappeared when she saw that it was Rin who had tapped her, not some random, unknown stranger like that dumb retarded smug girl of a thief who had managed to steal—

"Rin," Miku greeted lazily with a small smile on her face. Rin could tell it was a forced smile, because the ends of her mouth were twitching ever so slightly.

"Sorry," Rin said with an exasperated tone, "I hope I wasn't late—"

"—You aren't," Miku drawled, "I was early. I… came here at around seven. Too early for my own good, too early for your liking. Though I suppose you don't really care much…"

"What…" Rin started, "What do you mean? Of course I care!"

"You don't," Miku fought back grimly, "or you wouldn't have told me to leave early. I was hoping for you to tell me what you wanted to do without me, but oh well… Guess Rin doesn't trust me at all. Not one bit."

Rin did not know what to say to that. Miku was obviously hinting at her lack of trust in her— she didn't exactly tell her what she was going to do in that cottage, did she? She just explained that she was going to do _something_, and she had just forcibly demanded for Miku to place her trust in her. And yet…

Yet she hadn't accomplished a single thing at all.

Rin pursed her lips. She was nervous. What should she say right now? 'Sorry'?

Well, it didn't seem like there was anything else she could say…

"I—"

"Well, it's okay," Miku started again, her shoulders slightly hunched, "I don't really care for that anyway. What matters is that you've managed to keep your promise. At least you're safe. Or else…"

"I would not have forgiven myself," Miku added as an afterthought.

"I… I—I know," Rin simply said, "but still, I feel guilty for—"

"Now, now, let's not talk about that," Miku interrupted with a pout, then immediately grinned, "why don't you tell me about what you did yesterday? Did you manage to find the thief?"

Rin took a deep breath, calming herself down. Should she tell Miku about Len? She shouldn't but… but there was something telling her that she _should_. Miku _was_ and _is_ still a nice lady, and if she didn't trust Miku, then she would have nobody else to place her trust in. Besides, it looked like Miku was the only one other than Meiko who would genuinely care for her…

But… but Len would kill Miku. Len would _kill_ her. Len would brutally and grotesquely murder her in all his gory ways, and then mutilate her, or burn her slowly in flames with just one snap of his fingers.

Miku would _die_.

"I didn't find the thief—"

"What?" Miku scoffed, "I thought you said you had your own ways!"

"I did," Rin retorted wryly, "but… but it failed. I couldn't… execute it… promptly. I didn't have the right materials and… manpower."

There was a dark look appearing on Miku's face before Miku began to stomp her feet repeatedly on the ground like an infant begging her parents to buy her a candy. She whined, attracting much more attention than required.

"That thief will die when I find her," Miku stated dully, with an evil shimmer in her eyes, "Oh _yes_, she will die… I will feed her leeks for the next past few years and I will have her locked up in the chamber! I will name her 'Leek', and torture her by telling her to name me a hundred types of vegetables everyday!"

Rin sweat dropped. Miku wasn't really… making any sense, per se. Her methods of killing were innovative and stuff, but… but Rin doubt those stuff would actually successfully enable her to murder a person just like that.

She was in deep thought, but snapped out of it when someone called out for her.

"Excuse me—" Rin and Miku both turned to look at one of the stall tenders who had called out from them from behind the candy stall; it was a man in his late twenties with balding issues. "—Do you happen to be looking for a lost item? Did you chance by a thief, perhaps?"

This man… How did he know of the theft case? Rin scratched the back of her head with an inquisitive look and started pondering.

"Ahh!" Miku immediately answered with a look of eagerness on her face, "Yes, that is what happened! A 'thief' in this area has robbed my friend here, you see, and she has lost something very, very precious to her."

"Hmm," The man rubbed the little stubble he had on his face, and pursed his lips in serious thought. "Do you, by any chance, recall what the 'thief' looked like? Did she have light blond hair in pigtails?"

"Ohh, yes!" Kagamine Rin added in with a grin on her face. Finally, finally, there was going to be a shimmer of hope for her, even if it was dim. "Exactly that! What do you make of it?"

"Well, see," He cleared his throat and looked away from the two girls, "I know of a certain thief who does that all the time… I'm afraid you've encountered Akita Neru."

Miku and Rin both exchanged glances at each other. "A… Akita… Neru?"

"Yes," The man frowned, "I wish she wouldn't do that, but it seems like she doesn't change… Neru's a social outcast. Nobody likes her, and nobody talks to her. She doesn't have any friends, so… so I don't think it would be easy to find out her whereabouts, if that's what the both of you want."

Rin grimaced. She initially thought that this man had a single freaking clue to where that crazy woman would be, but now, her hope had been completely dashed.

It was useless.

Everything she had done up till now had been completely, utterly useless.

"_Staring back at you_

_Staring back at me_

_Inside of our own closed off world _

_Acting oblivious_

_But yet we both pretend that our intoxication will be sensed."_

Her head shot up. Somebody was singing, and this… this song. It was really pretty, with a smooth and crisp edge to it.

"_As time passes by, I feel that my heart_

_Must be kept hidden _

_So I may approach you_

_I heave a sigh, because around you _

_I feel so far from myself. _

_In ordinary feeling of love, my heart pounds."_

She wandered to the source of the voice and the lyrics of the songs became clearer and clearer. She could hear a few unknown voices shouting for her in the background, but… but her hearing was a little blurred, and her vision was hazy.

The song… The song. Somehow, it was attracting her… and she didn't even know why.

"And I… Will set up my trap for _you_."

Kagamine Rin stared at the man standing in front of her as the lyrics came to a sudden halt. He looked back at her, as if staring into her soul, and then a soft and delicate smile appeared on his lips.

Rin couldn't move.

She… She wanted to say something, but she couldn't open her mouth, somehow.

And this man… this man seemed to know everything.

"What might a fine and delicate lady like you be doing here, in the alleyway, where most drunkards and men with malicious intents lurk?" The man said smoothly with an aura of confidence and graciousness.

Rin analyzed him from top to toe. He had fine and thin blue strands of wispy hair, and a slightly fairer complexion than her's. His eyes looked amazing with the gorgeous shimmering blue—like the _sea_—and long lashes that reminded her of a female beauty.

"O… Oh!" She quickly replied when she realized that the man was looking strangely at her… She must have been acting queerly. Her cheeks began to burn as if it had been ablaze on fire, and her throat was awfully dry.

"I… I—I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to stare—"

"Apology accepted," The man said shortly with a smug grin on his face, "Though it would really be nice if I could have the honor of knowing your dear name, lady…"

"Ahh—" Her face became more flushed, if that was even remotely possible. "It… It's Rin! Rin! Yes, that's it… Rin!"

"Why, thank you. I suppose you could just call me 'Kaito', though I don't see the use of knowing my name, especially since we'll most likely not meet ever again…"

The man, 'Kaito', as it seems, approached her with steady steps as graceful as a ballerina's, and stopped when he managed to tower over her smaller frame. His dark cloak was fluttering in the wind… The sound was what Rin could only focus on at that point of time.

She couldn't raise her head to look at him. She looked down, on the floor.

Her cheeks were burning.

She could feel him leaning down and getting closer to her. His hair barely touched the sides of her cheeks, and she could feel his breath trickling on her fragile skin like ants crawling on the tree trunk. She trembled, not knowing what to do.

Was he going to…

Rin squeezed her eyes shut.

"We'll meet again, Rin," Kaito whispered in her ears painfully slowly, "If fate permits us to."

With a chuckle, he lifted himself back up, and when Rin opened her eyes, he was gone from her vision.

What a _strange_ man that was.

Kaito, was it?

She couldn't help but feel attracted to him, somehow… and it wasn't good.

* * *

Kagamine Rin hurried back to the entrance of the marketplace. This was completely stupid.

How was she going to explain to Miku about why she had decided to ditch her all of a sudden?

She would no doubt be pissed.

Maybe she could make up a few reasons or two, like she had to go back to her house or something, but… but that wouldn't account for anything, would it? Besides… Rin wasn't sure what to say because she had felt that the reason for her to ditch Miku in the middle of a lousy marketplace was completely, and utterly _stupid_.

She didn't believe it herself.

It was for a freaking song and a… an unknown voice by that man who… who—

She shut her eyes. Rin didn't exactly want to remember him, as of now. She could feel her cheeks heating up slowly yet again.

When she arrived at the entrance of the marketplace, there was no sight of the clueless girl anywhere. She couldn't see the familiar shade of turquoise anywhere within the premises.

This was strange…

She hurried to the man with the balding issues. Thankfully, he was still there.

"Excuse me—" Rin said hastily, "Have you seen where my friend—yes, the one with the pigtails—went?"

The man blinked several times before answering her.

"Well, I did see her just now shouting for you before you went off… but after that, she walked off with a pissed look on her face. I don't know, she seems to be bothered. Didn't she go after you or something?"

Rin sighed. This was bad. She had tons of explaining to do.

Miku was gone.

* * *

T.B.C.

I'm considering to publish a double chaptered fic next week. I've already completed one and a half chapters. All I need is to edit it or add some more details.

I'm not expecting much of a reception—if there is even going to be any—in this chapter.

Review, though it's not necessary. This chapter sucked. Writer's block.

MQ—Medusa Queen.  
_Formerly "Flyingcrane"_


	9. With the Shadows

**"The Red Spade" - Act 9: With the Shadows**

Disclaimer: I don't own this fandom. Don't sue.

Warning: Coarse language in this chapter. You are warned.

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Kagamine Rin stared at the vacant air cluelessly, her mouth opening and closing like a blur fish. She was standing in front of a wooden door, hesitating to open the door and just take a small little harmless step in. Her hands were not trembling, but she did feel a slight shiver running down across the small of her back like an electric shock.

She shouldn't be here. She should be elsewhere, perhaps, but… but her feet led her here, somehow. _Here_ of all the places she could have gone to.

Home.

She should be beaming from ear to ear. Grinning like a lunatic. Trembling with sheer delight. Ecstatic. But somehow, she wasn't. Maybe it was because she knew that someone was extremely pissed at her, and… and also, it didn't excuse her from being away from home for a single night.

Yes, that's right. Meiko. Meiko, that drunken brunette, was a harpy. Literally. What would she do if Rin couldn't answer all her queries regarding her absence from home for a single night?

She could make up and come up with a few intellectual excuses since Meiko was a little… lacking… in that department, but it didn't mean she would go off unpunished. There would most likely be some shouting sessions occurring once she put her foot inside that little house of hers.

She took a deep breath.

Even if she didn't want to go in, she had to. She _had_ to. This was her home. If she didn't come here, where else would she go? Miku was pissed with her right now… she couldn't just possibly go all the way to the tavern to find her. If she wanted to look for Akita Neru, she'd best go with Miku; it would be dangerous for her to go alone without any assistance. Miku was, unfortunately, not in the greatest and calmest state as of now.

Actually, now that she thought of it… Akita Neru wasn't her greatest concern as of now. She had Miku deep in her mind everywhere right now. Her friendship with her was possibly at stake here.

She'd let her shimmer down first. Perhaps a day would do.

Yes, it'd be perfect.

But first, she had to get inside the house for a moment or two.

Rin gulped and hesitantly opened the door gently. The door creaked, and Rin took the chance to peer inside the house through the small little crack, expecting to see a familiar brunette sitting near the table and sharpening a blade or a small sword.

There was nothing of that sort.

The brunette was nowhere to be seen. Rin found her absence to be of joy, and expeditiously opened the wooden door and slipped herself in with facilitating speed. Her joy was short-lived, because as soon as she slammed the door shut, she caught sight of the brunette standing just right behind the door.

Meiko didn't look as good as she thought she'd be. Her eye bags were much more prominent now, and her lips were dry and chapped. Her cheeks sagged lifelessly, and her eyes were dull and dark. Most importantly, her face was _extremely_ dark. She looked like she had just came back from the bottom of the ocean—dark and enraged.

Rin's every single instinct was screaming at her to bolt out of the freaking door. The situation was looking very, very tense and glum for her right now. She was certain that she was going to experience hell.

"So," Meiko hissed, taking a bold step forward, "Where on earth did you wander off to last night? You weren't home at all. Don't assume that I wouldn't know a single thing just because I'm busy attending to my work."

Rin automatically flinched. She stood rooted to her spot, frozen, and unable to move. "I… I was… I was busy because there was this—"

"Where were you last night," Meiko repeated her question. She sounded furious. Her face was flushed with anger.

"Listen, I—"

"_Where_." It was clear. Meiko wasn't asking Rin a question; she was _demanding _Rin to answer. She had to, she knew.

"W-with Miku," Rin's voice trembled; she wasn't usually afraid of Meiko, but when she's this pissed, nearly everyone in the town would be scared. "I was with her… We were looking for something. Something very, very important to me."

Meiko clicked her tongue and furrowed her brows with an extremely cross look. "So, you were looking for something that took you one night to find? And you expect that excuse to _fucking_ work and get you off the hook?"

Rin winced at the harsh and crude profanity Meiko was using. "Y-yes, it's true. I have nothing to hide! I lost my pouch, and I went around looking for it—"

"You _lost _your pouch," Meiko echoed, "and you expect me to just let you off merrily? You weren't home for the whole night, and you didn't even tell me where you were going off to, you brat—"

"—I'm sorry!" Rin wailed desperately, "I really know I should have told you that I wouldn't be home sooner, but… but I didn't expect any of that to happen! I couldn't have expected to lose my pouch, could I—"

"You idiot," Meiko growled threateningly, "Don't you _dare_ use that tone with me, you idiot… do you know how worried I was all night long? I couldn't see you, and I thought you were in _fucking_ deep trouble or something! I spent the whole night looking for you in the village, but I couldn't locate you, and you came home _fucking _lala-ing and telling me that you weren't home because you lost a _fucking _pouch!"

Rin shuddered. This was getting out of hand. Meiko was not in the best of mood right now. She was like an explosive time bomb, going to explode any time soon.

"You _made_ me worry! You _knew _I would be worried, but you still decided to go camp outside when you have a nice home waiting here, for you! Why are you like this? What have I taught you, you _idiot_? Have I not taught you enough, or was I never important to you all along?

"What on Earth was I to you? A _fucking_ slave or a maid? Is that what I am to you? I have been taking care of you for _years_, and this… _this_ is how you decide to repay _me_!"

She remained silent in her stance. This was definitely not a good time for her to speak. Definitely. She… she had to let Meiko calm down first. But really, today was quite a feat—first, she had offended Miku, and now, she had offended Meiko—which person in the right mind would go ahead and offend two people at once?

What on Earth was wrong with Rin? Everything about her seemed to be off!

She felt something cool sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't know what they were. Her eyes were stinging, and perhaps a little wet. She reached up to rub her eyes to soothe the pain.

She was crying.

Kagamine Rin was breaking down.

The fury in Meiko's fiery eyes seemed to dim a little. Her expression softened slightly, and her eyes widened in realization at what she had done. Rin could see the hint of sadness and regret welling up in her eyes.

Without another word, Meiko slowly retreated. She turned around quickly, disregarding the tears that were rolling gently down Rin's cheek. Rin watched as she took a few steps across the room, away from her, and came to a sudden halt; Meiko's body was shaking, as if she was trying to refrain herself from doing something foolish.

Then, with agonizing slow speed, Meiko trailed away from Rin until the outlines of her silhouette could not be seen anymore.

She could hear a door slamming shut tightly from afar. Meiko had either decided to lock herself in the room, or she had left through the other exit.

Her eyes were throbbing with pain. Those tears couldn't stop.

She choked back her sob, trying to swallow the strange feeling of a hard object present in her pharynx. Rin covered her mouth with her hand, feeling her whole body vibrating as her shoulders heaved up and down continuously.

Meiko was right.

Rin was a sore loser. She didn't appreciate what Meiko had done for her all these years, and even sought to abuse her care for her! What had she been thinking?

She couldn't… She couldn't describe how she was feeling at that moment. She felt depressed, and she didn't know why. Perhaps it was because of the fact that Meiko had never _ever_ shouted at her like that before… or maybe it was because too much things had happened to her in one day, and these things were too intense for her to handle.

She slid down the cool and hard walls, and squatted down with her eyes squeezed shut. Both of her hands were covering her face with her forearms propped up by her knees. She needed time to think… to remember… to calm down. Whatever she had done today, she had to reflect…

Something brushed against her left thigh. There was a presence, and something, or someone, was trying to soothe and calm her nerves down. A cool and pale hand slid across her hands and pried her fingers slowly away from her delicate face bit by bit.

Rin widened her eyes and let out a startled yelp.

A pair of scarlet eyes were staring back at her with a look of… interest. Rin could recognize that face anytime, and anywhere.

Len.

What was he doing here? He wasn't here when she needed him the most! If he had been there when she was trying to look for him, then maybe… maybe all of these wouldn't have happened at all!

"What are you doing here?" Rin hissed, "What's your problem? Have you came to mock at me for being in such a pathetic state?"

Len did not say anything. Instead, he used a finger and traced one of the tears on her cheeks with gentle and fluid movements. Then, he rubbed the tears away, bit-by-bit, before removing his hands from her face to scrutinize the bit of liquid on his fingers.

Rin was stunned. She didn't move or say anything. She… didn't expect Len to do that.

Her eyes watched him as he lifted the finger to his lips, and used his tongue to lick the remnants of the liquid off his finger.

"W… What on Earth are you doing, you sick bas—" She shrieked, but stopped.

A look of confusion crossed his face for a moment or two. Len tilted his head as if he was a little bewildered by the situation; he looked lost.

This was strange…

"What… What's wrong?" Rin questioned.

Len's expression switched as soon as he noticed the look of concern on Rin's face.

"Che," Len uttered with a voice that sounded uncaring and displeased, "Nothing's wrong. I was just wondering why you're producing water."

What in the world was he talking about now?

_Oh!_ Rin thought, _the tears!_

Rin finally realized what Len was talking about. He was wondering about her tears… but he didn't exactly know what tears were, didn't he? He was not human, after all…

"I am _not _producing water," Rin sniffed, "I am crying! Can't you see that? And it's all your fault!"

"It _is_ water," Len stated dryly, "and what do I have to do with this, Rin? Explain yourself."

"I was looking for you! I was frantically looking for you out of the village, in the woods! But… but you weren't there!" Rin wailed, "And if you had been there, then maybe I wouldn't have to get a scolding from Meiko, or get Miku pissed like that!"

Len raised a brow. "I wasn't there yesterday."

"Where were you, then?"

Len appeared to be in deep thought for a moment or two before he replied, "I simply had some matters to attend to. You are not required to know about stuff you're not involved in. Humans probe a lot, don't they?"

He licked his lips. "Ahh, but it pleases me so to hear that _you_, as a mortal who has always disliked me, had been looking for me…"

"I was not," Rin said, feeling her cheeks heat up under his intense gaze, "I have… reasons for doing so."

"Mm," Len replied, nodding his head a little, before a smirk came to his lips like always, "And what might those reasons be? With your inability to think, I'd guess it would be something rather… pointless."

"Excuse me, it _isn't_. Sorry to disappoint."

"Whatever," Len shot back, "It doesn't matter. Explain."

Well, Rin was waiting for this chance, wasn't she? She had been waiting for a chance to let Len know of her situation so that he'd help her. But now that he was in front of her, Rin found it hard to speak to him somehow… His moods were unpredictable, and Rin didn't really know what he would plan to do after she had told him everything.

Would he help, or would he ignore her?

There was only one way to find out.

Rin took a deep breath and counted to three slowly in her mind before she started elaborating. "I… I want you to help me look for a thief who has stolen my pouch."

She paused for a few seconds, moistening her dry lips with her tongue; an exhibition of nervousness. "The pouch is extremely valuable to me. I… I really can't lose it!"

She observed Len's behavior through half-lidded eyes. She was waiting… waiting for him to burst into bouts of fury, or perhaps heaps of laughter. No, wait—this was _Len_ she was talking about, not… not Miku. Len doesn't laugh. Neither does he smile genuinely. He can only chuckle or smirk.

He didn't.

He just stared right back at her. Actually, he looked like he was staring _through_ the crown of her head rather than staring directly _at_ her face. That was all. No laughs, no frowns—nothing.

"You dolt," he finally murmured, "what do you think I am, an immortal of some sort? You actually believe that I have the ability to _locate_ an item for you?"

"Why not?" Rin argued, rubbing her toes together, "You did that once too! You did that with the bandage stuff back there, in the cottage! I saw it clearly with my eyes! If you could make bandages appear, why can't you—"

"—I knew how the bandages looked like and where they were located. I didn't make them appear," Len continued, "I simply teleported them to my hands. In other words, I _moved_ the items to my hands, not create an entity."

Rin swallowed. This was hard. She couldn't seem to register any of the information he had just given to her.

"S-so," Rin stuttered, "You can't locate the pouch for me? Is that what you are trying to tell me?"

"Somewhat, you dolt," Len frowned and folded his arms, "It doesn't concern me, anyway. Just get a new pouch."

Rin clenched her fists and teeth. His attitude was suddenly starting to piss her off badly. She knew he didn't give a heck about the world and its affairs, but… but the way he acted was almost as if he just saw her as an annoying pest he was trying to get rid of!

If he didn't want to help her, fine. If he couldn't help her, fine. So be it. But… but he didn't have to say it _didn't_ concern him! Not especially after the whole bunch of events that took place right after she had stayed overnight in that stupid cottage where her grandmother was supposed to be… and she did not even get anything for doing that!

She couldn't stand him anymore.

"You," Rin gritted her teeth, "Do you know what you are saying? After I waited in that cottage for you, and you didn't even turn up, you decide to tell me that you were… you were not involved in any of this?"

"I waited for you," Rin felt the icy, stinging feeling in her eyes again, "and because of you… Meiko hates me now! Miku… Miku isn't going to be my friend anymore, either!"

Len didn't answer the accusation. He just stood there with eyes focused on Rin's now tear-stained face, and tilted his head. He didn't look like he was even listening, although he might just be putting up on an act of some sort.

"You have everything to do with this!" Rin screamed, her eyes becoming pink and her legs turning wobbly, "It's all _your_ fault!"

She raised her hand with amazing agility, and brought it down swiftly to Len's cheeks—she was almost certain that she'd be able to at least land a slap on his face, but she didn't.

His hand was much quicker than hers in terms of agility. He forcibly grabbed her hand in one swift second, and smoothly tugged Rin forward such that he was towering over her.

"Don't go around pushing the blame on others when it is your fault," Len growled with a ferocious animalistic-like snarl, "You only have yourself to blame for losing that pouch of yours in the first place. Nobody told you to look for me; I never said I could help you. Don't get too ahead of yourself, _Rin_, because you should know what _I _am capable of."

Her name rolled on his tongue and it sounded like venom on his lips. He purposely emphasized on her name, as if to mock her, and released her when he finished his sentence.

Rin flared her nostrils and turned away from him. She knew how strong he was… physically, and mentally. She was absolutely no match for him in every aspect.

There was an exchange of silence between them as neither of them spoke; both of them just stood at their respective positions and stared quietly, contemplating on what to do next.

Then, with a click of his tongue, Len finally caved in to the disturbing silence that elapsed between them both.

"Come with me."

Rin whirled around to shoot him a look of bewilderment. "—Wait, what?"

"I'm going out. I'll bring you along with me." Len was clenching his teeth as if to control his explosive temper.

"We just had a massive war," Rin stated the obvious, "and you… you want me to go with you—"

"Che," Len dragged his feet to the door and pulled the wooden door open, "Shut up. Are you coming or not?"

"I don't even know where—"

"Rin," Len smirked, as if there was something amusing about what she had just said, "If you don't follow me, I'll assume that you cannot walk properly, and if you cannot walk, I will be the one to bring you there, even if I do have you carry you personally. I am sure you do not want that, do you?"

The look on Len's face darkened and his smirk widened.

"Or do you?"

Rin jerked upright.

With an annoyed grunt, she decided the best action was to comply—she didn't really want to be carried and _dropped_ on the floor by someone she really, really, couldn't get.

* * *

**A/N**: The end! So, how was this chapter? Well, I doubt people are still reading this story... and I'm already losing the motivation to continue writing it already. -Sighs- It's hard, I know.

But I'm still trying to continue writing... Just that... Updates may not be as constant anymore. And people, if you're still reading this, please let me know, alright? It serves as a motivation for me.

So, if you're wondering why the scroll bar is still that long down... Then, surprise! No, it isn't filled with my A/N, but it's a double chapter! This is to make up for my lack of updates recently, if anyone is still reading.

Alright, enjoy!

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 9.5 : Intertwined**

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Rin stared at her surrounding area with her mouth agape, and her eyes wide with fascination. She appeared to be intrigued and oblivious to the people around her.

The luscious fields in front of her eyes were filled with beautiful full-bloomed flowers in all sorts of fancy colors—red, yellow, pink, violet—and there was a sweet distinctive, perfume-like scent that dominated the atmosphere. Under the dark moonlight, the flowers seem to sparkle with life, and the evergreen grasses seem to each have a life of their own, swaying from side to side as if they were waltzing with the soft echoes of the wind.

She turned to Len with a look of bemusement, and thinned her lips, trying to act as if she wasn't really pleased and amused by the scenic beauty of nature presented right upon her eyes.

"Why did you bring me here?" She questioned, feigning a stern look on her face that didn't quite turn out right. She found it hard to be cross with him—not especially after he had taken her here, and her acting skills were horrendous. Third grade.

"You talk as if I _wanted_ to bring you here," Len mumbled with a brow raised suspiciously, "If it weren't for you bawling for eyes out, _human_, I would not have bothered to bring you out here."

"But you didn't have to bring me out here," Rin grumbled, "You could of just left me right and then. You didn't have to bother about me… my crying wouldn't of concerned anyone, in particularly you."

Then, with the intention of making him feel guilty, she added, "Unless you are feeling guilty, that is."

Len rolled his eyes. "Che. As I have mentioned, you were bawling your eyes out with some strange substance. It was disgusting. I couldn't stand it anymore… it was getting rather annoying."

Rin ignored him and turned to appreciate the sight of the dazzling flowers under the soft moonlight. It was plain beautiful—she had never, ever seen or managed to locate a field that had so many flowers in it… this was her first time in such a large field with flowers.

In all her years of living in this village, she had never known the existence of this place. She had never gone far, especially not outside of the village, but now that she did… she was tempted to do it again. Maybe that was the reason why some of the villagers often decided to embark on a journey away from their homes.

She had heard of a place called the North Pole. It was located far away, as legend has it, and it had tons of flowers on the small little island. There were animals wandering freely around and fluffy clouds that could be slept and jumped on, and also trees with falling candies and coins. In the North Pole, nobody had to work. Everyone had a freedom of his or her own. It was pure bliss.

It wasn't like this village…

"Rin," She jerked upright when she heard Len's monotonous voice from behind her, "Come sit here with me."

Rin showed no expression. She totally ignored him and continued to stare at the flowers. She was starting to count them, one by one… How many would there be in the North Pole? Would they be just as colorful as the flowers here?

There was an annoyed growl that instantly made Rin whirl around to glance at the blonde man.

"What?" She stated blankly, pretending not to hear anything he had just mentioned—she did like this place, and she did appreciate his thoughts for bringing her here, but it certainly didn't mean that she would be appeased just by this simple gesture—she still did think that it was his fault that she was tormented in her current situation where two parties were pissed at her.

"Sit here," He said, motioning onto the patch of grass just beside him. He was already sitting down, twirling the vines of an unknown plant in his fingers.

Rin frowned, and deliberately walked at snail's pace just to spite and aggravate Len. He seemed to be unaffected though, and Rin silently cursed at herself for failing to make him pissed or annoyed at her actions.

With a pout, she sat beside Len and scooted a few feet away from him.

"Move closer, you dolt—" Len complained with a hiss.

"—No, dumbass, I like where I am sitting right now—"

"—Shut the hell up and move closer before I make you come closer with my own ways—"

"—Oh really," Rin mocked, "You poor, egotistical chap—you think blackmailing me or threatening me would work—obviously, you haven't seen what I—"

"—Ah!" Rin let out a shriek of surprise as she was violently tugged forward by a hand. She fell onto the grass in a messy heap; her face was down on the grasses, and her body was flat on top of the grasses. Her hair was disheveled and her shirt was partially rolled up by the friction and the impact of the solid ground and her body.

She wrenched her hand out of Len's, and pulled herself up gently in a sitting position.

"I told you to come closer," Len stated smugly while grinning like a sociopath, "You didn't want to listen. You asked for it."

"S-Shut up!" Rin yelled, getting embarrassed by how vulnerable she was actually making herself look in front of such a demon, "I was just careless! If I had been alert, you wouldn't have had a chance to strike at me like that, you cheat!"

Len didn't rebut. Instead, he turned to face Rin with a rather… intensive… and sneaky look on his face. That egotistical grin was still on his face as if it was a feature of his that couldn't be removed no matter how hard he tried.

"Your face is red," He accused with mirth underlying in his tone.

Rin started to panic. He was right. She could feel the glowing on her cheeks again, and her heartbeat suddenly increasing rapidly. She probably felt embarrassed because she had looked like some weak idiot who was incapable of protecting herself. This was stupid.

"It is not," She outright denied—her mind was thinking otherwise.

Len moved in closer to her until he was just an inch away from Rin's face. "It is—I can even hear your heart beating and your face radiating some form of heat energy. Don't try to deny it."

"And," He reached out with his fingers, tilting Rin's chin upwards such that she was facing him, "I suppose you're only red because I'm this close to you. Aren't I right, Rin?"

"Move away before I kick you or punch you—" Rin deadpanned. She felt her face getting redder and redder as seconds passed by.

"I'd like to see you try," Len smirked, "Though… you wouldn't hold true to your words. You're certainly enjoying your position right now, aren't you?"

Rin scoffed, feeling annoyed by his advances. It was no use trying to reason with him. He was always right and she was always wrong. Why fight for something that already has a result? It was stupid trying to make him change when he was this determined and focused.

Len automatically retreated back to his position with a victorious smirk. Rin rolled her eyes; it didn't matter what he did because she didn't lose, she didn't lose, she didn't lose—

"Here." Rin found something hard to be shoved quickly in her hands.

She observed the object in her hands. It was a headband with several types of colorful flowers connected and intertwined with one another. The shape looked… odd. It wasn't exactly a perfect circle, per se. It was… rather square-ish. It seemed like it was a bit too oversized for it to fit on her head.

The handiwork was sloppily done. Petals were already squashed and some of the flowers seemed to be withering due to the deprivation of sunlight… it did seem like it had been prepared a week beforehand.

"Well?" Len probed, sounding a little impatient. What did he want this time? Her opinion of his handiwork? Well, it was done pretty badly…

"It's…" Rin trailed off, examining the flowers in her hand in detail. It wasn't perfectly done. It was horrendous; like a first grader's work. But she could not say that, could she? "… _Unique_."

There was something about Len's face that made Rin regret what she had said. It was only for a moment or two, but she could have sworn that a look of disappointment had crossed his face. It was like a child's pout when he was denied of the permission to do something he wanted. Yes, that… look.

But it was replaced by an annoyed frown. Maybe Rin was just dreaming. Maybe she just imagined it. She could see properly under the darkness, after all. Why would Len be disappointed at her, anyway?

"Tsk," Len mumbled, grabbing the piece of handiwork away from her, "Useless little girl. You don't know how to appreciate it, do you?"

Rin smiled. This was a chance to show him that she could be better than him in some ways, after all. She looked around her. There were some flowers on the grasses. Perfect.

She plucked the flowers out from the soil, bit by bit, all the while mumbling words of apology. She was rather selective in her picking of the flowers; she had deliberately picked flowers only within the same color range. Pink, light pink, red, baby pink, scarlet, crimson—

Beside her, Len was watching with catlike eyes. He wasn't smiling, though he appeared to be curious.

Rin slowly took one flower at a time, and twisted the stem of the flowers such that they were intertwined with one another in an order manner. She was skillful, like an adept in this line of work. Her hands were soft and gentle, and it could be seen and observed that she was very careful when it came to handling the flowers; she made sure the petals were intact and not destroyed by the force of her hands.

Rin grinned slyly. It was completed. The headband was perfect. It was as round as the moon above the skies, and as dazzling as the sunlight.

Beside her, Len let out a snort.

"This is how you're supposed to do it." Rin flashed her teeth at him, letting the headband hang freely over her little fingers.

His eyes widened considerably, but he quickly turned his head away to conceal the look of defeat and shock on his face.

"Che," Len muttered, "of course I know how to do it. I didn't want to give you my best work. A human can't have the best of both worlds, can she?"

Rin snickered. Now, he was trying to pretend he was tough when he wasn't. Pride was an important quality to him, wasn't it?

"Well, just admit it!" Rin grinned. "I beat you in doing that. I did better than you in that aspect. I may suck at everything else, but this time, I win."

"Tsk," Len growled, "Whatever. I do not care much about useless things."

* * *

"_Hey, why are you calling this skill useless? To make a headband like this, one must have the intelligence and the knowledge, Rin! Come on, I'll teach you!"_

* * *

"_We should hang out sometime, Rin. You know… I really, really like being by your side like this. It… makes me happy. And this happiness… is different from the happiness I feel when I'm around Miku, Rin."_

* * *

"_Rin… Sometimes, I wonder if everything would change if I had you as my sister instead. Would you… like me?"_

* * *

Mi… Mikuo…

Rin snapped out of her trance with a sullen look on her face. Why was Len reminding her of him right now? She hadn't seen him for a while now, and besides, he was the one who _left_ her. She should not be thinking about him, but…

She stared at the skies, contemplating on how she used to hang out with Miku and Mikuo when they were younger; they would usually dance together on the field of flowers, trampling on the luscious green grasses (though they would apologize much later on) and laughing at how each of them were living their lives. It was pure bliss, she remembered, and those days were the only days she actually really _smiled_.

She was so occupied in her thoughts she didn't even realize she was _smiling_ to herself… and this annoyed Len.

"What's wrong now?" Len moaned in a barely audible voice, irritation getting the better of him.

Rin pursed her lips, unwilling to divulge anything related to her past. He was… someone she could not trust yet. "Nothing."

"Whatever," Len rolled his eyes and muttered, crossing his legs on the grasses. "Humans are just so strange… They cry, yell, and worry at the slightest bit of things that could happen. I could never understand why…"

"That's only because you aren't human," Rin answered, sprawling flat down on the grasses with her arms folded neatly behind her head. "If you were human, you'd know why we're feeling like this. You'd understand everything. You'd be able to enjoy life like we do. You'd cry, laugh and smile."

"But… But I am not," Len whispered softly, and for a moment or two, Rin could see a strange emotion flash in his eyes. Was it sadness? Was it anger? Or… was it… envy?

"Yes, you are not," Rin reinforced his statement with a brief nod, "or you wouldn't have mercilessly ravaged my Grandmother's cottage."

Len seemed to be taken back by this. "What? Grandmother's… cottage?"

"Now you're playing pretend." Rin frowned. "That day, remember? I went to look for my grandmother in that cottage, but instead of her being there, you were there."

"That was your _grandmother's_ cottage?"

"Yes." Rin snorted, ignoring how Len was trying to play dumb with her to make her look like a fool on her part. "You'd know. You went in before I did. You should have seen her… Did you scare her away?"

"I didn't know that cottage belonged to your grandmother. I only pretended to be your grandmother because I heard your voice in the woods calling out for her."

"What are you talking about?" Rin was confused. Hadn't he been the one who had scared her grandmother away, or worse still… devoured her? Did he… eat her? But it was impossible for him to do all of those things above if he had not even known the existence of her grandmother in the first place…

But that would mean…

Now, Rin may sound like she didn't care much for her grandmother, but she did… just not as much as she thought she would. After all, she did not spend most of her time with her grandmother, and… and she'd rarely be allowed to visit her. Their relationship was not as close and as strong as the others.

"Rin," Len voiced out, his voice strangely chilling to the bone. Rin did not like the sound of it; it seemed as if he was going to say something mad, something horrible, and something surprising.

"When I went into the cottage… Your grandmother was already missing.

"It… was empty."

* * *

**A/N**: No, there isn't a third chapter here. This is all, folks. Please review, it really keeps me going to know that people are still reading this fic. :)

MQ—Medusa Queen.  
_Formerly "Flyingcrane"_


	10. Vanishing trick

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.

Random note: THANK YOUUU FOR THE REVIEWS, READERS! I love ya all, I was genuinely touched and not to mention so happy when I saw the reviews and reception for last chapter! :) This chapter is dedicated to all of you.

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**"The Red Spade" - Act 10: Vanishing trick**

**

* * *

**

Kagamine Rin gazed blankly at Len; what was he babbling about? She knew he was a sadistic nutcase, but… this? Seriously, _this_?

It was like a rotten fairytale or something, where demons and trolls with horns would appear randomly out of nowhere in the storyboard.

It was crazy.

Unbelievable.

Bullshit.

"How can it be empty?" She questioned, her eyes filled with disbelief at his claims, "You were _there_. She was _there_. It can't be empty. Never, Len, _never_."

Len rolled his eyes and shot her a glare. "Your grandmother wouldn't be able to see me. You are the only one with the capability to see me so far, Rin. She wouldn't know of my existence… she couldn't have ran away from that cottage."

Rin gulped. What on earth was that supposed to mean? Did it mean that her grandmother was already gone to begin with, or did it mean that something else had happened to her, and it didn't involve Len?

Her throat was dry. She didn't know what to say next; she was just as confused as him! She didn't know what she should ask so get her answers because there were just too many unresolved questions.

Len decided to be the one to break the silence. "This brings us to another question—where did she go? If neither you nor I have seen her or taken her, then, _who_ did?"

Rin decided to toy with the hem of her shirt. She dug her sharp nails into the fabric of the shirt, pulling the fabric back and forth with her nimble fingers.

This was an unconscious act that she'd do each time she was nervous or confused.

Len continued, "Of course, it is possible that she might just have wandered off by herself. But if she had done that, why _didn't_ she return? If we consider this possibility to be valid, then there is also a possibility of her being taken away by something or someone else…"

"I don't get it." Rin bit her lip nervously, fingers tracing the outlines of her shirt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

With a growl, Len pulled her hand away from her shirt and brought it close to his face. "Stop doing that. You're ruining your shirt."

She noticed the close proximity between their faces, and she felt herself blushing scarlet once more; it was making her feel really uncomfortable.

Len's smirk didn't make her feel any better.

When he released her hand, he went straight back to the topic again, his face turning dead serious.

"I don't know what it means either," He admitted, a wicked grin appearing on his face, "Perhaps there is someone else out there, lying in wait for _you_, Rin… Perhaps somebody else wants you to be his meal maid, or worse still, his _personal servant_…"

When he finished his sentence, he eyed Rin up and down suggestively, causing Rin to turn pink from his unusual stares.

"Shut u-up, Len!" She stuttered, slapping him playfully on his shoulder, "I'm going to go home!"

She didn't see how serious Len was looking at her.

* * *

One, two, three, four…

Kagamine Rin traced the jagged outlines of the newly formed cracks on the wooden table she was lying her head on; they weren't there yesterday morning, but when she had came back yesterday night, she noticed those prominent ugly cracks marring the surface of the table.

Well, there had been a few possibilities. It was either done on accident, or… on purpose. Rin decided that the latter would be the more believable out of the two, because there was only a single person in this house that would do something like this, and that person was coincidentally in a foul mood for the whole of yesterday.

Meiko.

She frowned, digging her nails deeper into the cracks of the table. There were so many complications, and yet so little things she could do…

**

* * *

**

_"Rin, when I went into the cottage… Your grandmother was already missing. It… was empty."_

**

* * *

**

_"Your grandmother wouldn't be able to see me. You are the only one with the capability to see me so far, Rin. She wouldn't know of my existence… she couldn't have ran away from that cottage."_

**

* * *

**

_"This brings us to another question—where did she go? If neither you nor I have seen her or taken her, then, who did?"_

_"Of course, it is possible that she might just have wandered off by herself. But if she had done that, why didn't she return? If we consider this possibility to be valid, then there is also a possibility of her being taken away by something or someone else…"_

**

* * *

**

She broke out from her thoughts of yesterday's conversation with Len; she had been thinking about that ever since she had came home yesterday night, and even as she slept, she could not stop thinking about it.

Something about what he had said had made her shiver with fear. There was just… something… that seemed odd and out of the picture.

And, she could try to deny it, but no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that Len was only speculating things, she could not help but believe that whatever Len had told her yesterday night had made _complete_ sense to her.

But… what was it? What did it mean?

Damn it. Damn that Len for making everything so confusing and so complicated.

Rin let out an annoyed whine and dug her head beneath her arms. She needed some quiet time to herself to be free from all of the malevolent thoughts. She was already as stressed enough as she was, and she certainly did not need something else to be added to that pile of stress she was already facing right now.

She grunted when a few knocks on the door broke her concentration and distracted her from all of her thoughts. With a roll of her eyes, she strode to the wooden door nonchalantly and pulled it open—

—only to find nobody standing there.

This only served to infuriate her more and dampen her mood more than it already was. She cursed under her lips, showing off her wide range of colorful vocabulary, and secretly swore to amputate whoever was playing that stupid lame trick on her.

Rin was about to slam the door shut, but a tug on the hem of her shirt prevented her from doing so. She looked down, and gasped when she saw a small little girl with fish braids waving back at her with a cute little grin.

_Oh_, she thought, _I couldn't see her._

Her mood started to brighten up when she saw that adorable kid smiling at her with the cutest face she had ever seen in her life. The tips of her lips twitched, and before she knew it, Rin was smiling back at the innocent little kid; she could never bring herself to vent her anger on children because children always had this strange vibe that would appease her anger each time she was in a foul mood.

"Ragamino Kin? Ish that chu?" The little girl chirped, revealing her set of teeth, and Rin nodded slowly, vaguely noting that the kid had lost both of her front teeth.

Wait—what? Ragamino Kin? What kind of a name was that? A vein popped out by the side of Rin's head, and she scoffed, but she still kept that friendly demeanor she had in order not to frighten that small kid away.

"Here ish a letter for chu." The girl turned down to remove a neatly folded note from her shoes, and passed it gently to Rin; she had to tiptoe to hand it over to her.

Rin blinked in confusion, staring at the note in her hands. "What… What's this?"

"Someone told me to pass it to chu," The girl answered, trying to balance her weight on one foot, "I make my coins this way!"

Rin eyed the note with a suspicious look. The note looked new, and there was a strange wooden scent that lingered on the piece of paper in her hands. The scent was not completely unpleasant, but it was not exactly common, per se. The front of the note was blank without any addresses or anyone's signature on it; it was exactly because of this reason that made Rin kind of suspicious of it.

Who would it be from? Who would send the little girl here just to give her that piece of note? Well, it could be Meiko… Meiko had connections with the villagers, and besides, she had been pissed with Rin yesterday, so she could have written this note to her since she could not bring herself to talk to the offending female.

Rin started to unfold the note gingerly and cautiously while constantly reminding herself not to tear the note by accident.

It was a mistake.

Scribbled on the note were a few words in crimson red ink. The handwriting was slightly unstable and messy… it looked like whomever had written it was in a hurry, or shaking horribly. Whether it was ink, or blood, she couldn't tell, but that was not why Rin gasped in the first place; it was the content and the words on the note that made Rin startled.

'_HELP ME_.'

She gazed at the words on the note with an expression consisting of shock, horror and disbelief. Then, as if she had found the note to be cursed, she quickly folded the note back to the way it was and stuffed it inside the pocket in her trousers.

When she turned with the intent to speak to the little girl, the little girl was already gone. She didn't know how the girl could get away so quickly without her realizing it, but if she was gone, then there would be no one else to answer her questions; she would not be able to find out the identity of the mysterious man or woman that had passed her this letter.

How would she know if it was a prank?

Yes… that was right. The note itself might be a horrible prank played by one of the kids in the village. She couldn't dismiss this possibility; children in this village were notorious for being devilish imps because of the lack of entertainment in the village.

But… but there was something odd about the note that made Rin's heart flutter with apprehension.

With quivering hands and palms soaked with cold sweat, Rin pulled the note out from the depths of her pocket, smoothing the creases on it before attempting to unfold it again.

She inspected the strokes of every single letter on the note closely, being careful enough not to miss out any specific detail. The strokes were cursive, albeit a little too closely packed, but it was legible enough… and somehow, Rin found this style of handwriting to be painfully familiar; it was as if she had seen this handwriting a thousand or a million times before already, but… but where?

It could not be Meiko's; Meiko's handwriting was _completely_ illegible. Even she herself admitted it once before; the way she held the feather pen was just like the way she held a knife, and with that amount of force exerted on the pen itself, Rin swore that the feather pen could snap into two anytime and anywhere.

If it weren't her, then whose handwriting would it be? Who would write like _that_?

Then it all seemed to come to her in a moment.

Miku.

It was no doubt Miku's handwriting on the note. She was sure of it; in fact, she was absolutely certain of it. Only Miku would be able to write such refined and beautiful cursive letters and make it legible at the same time… yes, it had to be hers.

Straightway _Rin's eyes_ begun to _widen_ with astonishment and the sudden realization of why Miku had left her on that day began to hit her; what if she didn't leave on her own accord? What if she had been _taken_ away by someone? Apparently that 'someone' had kidnapped her and misled Rin into thinking that Miku had actually went home, and Rin had fell for it, being stupid and dumb enough not to consider this possible scenario.

Rin started to panic. This was trouble… this was real, _true_ trouble. She had to do something, because if she didn't, Miku's life could be at stake… Miku could be in danger right now.

She needed to find help.

"Meiko!" Rin desperately called out, looking in all four directions, "Mei—"

She stopped shouting when she remembered that Meiko wasn't home; she had already been out and she hadn't returned when Rin did. She was probably out somewhere venting all her anger at some unanimated object, perhaps a tree, or she could be in a tavern, drinking all her sorrows away without a care in this world.

This meant that Meiko could not be located. She had to find somebody else to help think of a solution.

Len.

Without thinking any further, she darted out of the house, not bothering to slip into any shoes or scandals. She received numerous stares on her way to the forest, but she didn't stop to think about her image or reputation; she just whizzed past those strangers and ran to the forest with all her might.

Once she was in the forest, she began to walk briskly to where the cottage was. She couldn't run in the forest because there were tons of sharp, entangled vines that may cut her or cause her to trip and fall, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen, especially during a crucial time like this.

A silhouette in the corner of her eye caught her attention; there was… an outline of somebody—she couldn't tell whom—leaning against one of the tree trunks on the top right hand corner of where she was standing. Upon closer inspection, she could make out the shape of a man in the distance, but his facial features were slightly blurred and unclear.

All Rin could see was the distinct color of the man's clothes—black, just like Len's.

"Len?" She blurted out without a second thought, hoping to receive a response from the figure not far from her—she was approaching him, and she realized that he was not moving at all; he was just standing there like a dummy, ignoring her cries, and looking at the opposite direction instead.

"Len," She repeated, this time louder, hoping to elicit some form of acknowledgement from him.

He didn't reply.

When she finally managed to stand facing his back, she tapped his shoulder gently, and when she did, it was the greatest mistake of her life.

Standing in front of her, and facing her, was _not_ Len; _no_ way did he look like Len at _all_. There was no cocky smirk, no alluring crimson bloodshot eyes, and no blond hair; instead, the man had a scar on his face, and a ferocious look. His eye color was in a complete contrast with Len's—it was dark, although there was a tint of midnight blue in it.

Rin let out a gasp. This man… was somehow frightening her.

She saw that cheeky grin on the man's face before something hit her—hard—on the back of her head.

The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was that of her own voice, calling out for Len, before she felt her limp body coming into contact with something solid and rough.

The white ribbon on her head slipped to the ground.

* * *

**A/N**: Okay, like, I was considering to post another chapter but I was evil enough to leave it as it is in order not to ruin the suspense, because if I had posted the next chapter, it'd kind of... destroy... the impact that I originally wanted readers to have. /Evil

So, how should I begin this... Hmm, well, see, Chapter 9 was the turning point for me. I was very happy (and actually, shocked) to see the number of reviews I've gotten when I logged into my account. SERIOUSLY, YOU GUYS JUST MADE MY DAY; 28 reviews is seriously something that I'd never dreamed of having... And speaking of which, this fic has hit a 100 review mark kind of thing, which makes me so touched and happy because it's the first fic that I have that hits the hundred mark T_T -sobs-

So, I'd like to **thank all of my readers and reviewers**! Thank you guys, I shall dedicate this whole fic to all of you!

And, well, see, after logging in to my account, I was too amazed by the reviews that I started writing Chapter 12 immediately. I could get Chapter 11 posted up on Friday or Saturday, I guess.

By the way, I didn't manage to reply everyone's reviews because I've fallen ill halfway through. Apparently I have hypotension and a tendency to faint everywhere I go because I don't have enough red blood cells, not to mention I have gastric issues probably to my poor diet and also the crash diet that I was on a few months ago. It has taken a toll to my health. :/

Anyway, I'll try to reply your reviews this time round, though I can't make any promises! Now, see ya next time! And remember to leave a review :)

MQ—Medusa Queen.  
_Formerly "Flyingcrane"_


	11. Enclosed and trapped

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

**"The Red Spade" - Act 11: Trapped & Enclosed**

* * *

Breathe.

She had difficulty trying to breathe properly. It was as if there was something—she didn't know what—stuck in her nostrils, stuck in her esophagus and_ lungs_, something that prevented her from breathing normally as she would.

Feel.

It was hot. The whole room was like a boiler room by itself. It was full of heat energy, and she found herself to be perspiring every minute and second; her whole shirt was soaked in disgusting and filthy sweat, and she could feel the heat pricking against her skin mercilessly.

See.

She couldn't see anything. It was completely dark. There were no lights, no candles, no sunlight—_nothing_—and she couldn't even see her own fingers in the darkness, let alone anything in the room, or wherever she was.

Kagamine Rin clawed the surface of the floor with her nails, struggling to push herself up to a sitting position with the strength of her arms and feet, but fiery pain shot through her limbs and she immediately screamed and winced in pain; never had her limbs hurt this much… it was as if someone had deliberately broke her bones to prevent her from escaping or planning anything foolish.

She felt her arms wobble and give way to the floor beneath her. Her right arm, fortunately, seemed to be in a better state than that of her left arm; it didn't hurt as much as her left arm, and it seemed to be _fine_ as compared to her left arm and her legs.

Now _those_ had hurt badly when she tried to move.

She had to move; she knew. Lying here wasn't going to solve anything because she didn't even know where she was; all she knew was that she had been knocked unconscious by some violent runt, and if she didn't do something _quick_, she had a feeling she would die in this miserable place _alone_.

With a groan, Kagamine Rin pulled herself up, willing herself to ignore the pain that shot up her limbs in a flash. When she did finally manage to pull herself up in a crouching position, she grabbed the nearest thing she could feel with her right arm—some sort of a chair, perhaps—and pulled herself gingerly up into a standing position, using the weight of the chair to support her.

Now here comes the hard part… Rin had to find a way, somehow, to maneuver her way through the darkness so as to get out of this wretched place.

Being careful not to lose her footing and her grip on the chair, Rin used her left arm and slowly tried to feel for something that may be of use to her escape. She could feel the dull throbbing pain searing through her left arm, but she bit her lips to prevent herself from crying out in extreme pain; there were better things for her to worry about right now, and it would not be good if that rogue-like man caught her trying to escape.

Her left palm managed to hit something solid, a wall, perhaps, and Rin smiled—she could let the wall lead her to the door, and from there, she'd figure out how to break the lock, if there were any.

With slow and steady movements, Rin let herself be guided by the wall, trying to make herself as flat to the wall as possible. Besides the echo of her footsteps, she could hear the sound of her heartbeat beating unevenly and rapidly; she was scared. Never in her life had she felt so unsecured before.

Then, her foot collided with something _hard _and round, like a rolling pin or something. With an angry hiss, she tried to kick the unknown object away, and unfortunately for her, she slipped on the object instead, causing herself to tumble forward and sprawl onto the floor in an unceremonious heap.

She let out a sharp groan as her body hit the floor hard. Determined as she was, she could not keep herself from hissing in pain; _this _had hurt, and it had hurt badly—she didn't want to know how many bones she'd fractured from the impact of the hit.

"Oh no," Rin whispered under her breath when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching from somewhere outside. "Oh, why did I yell? Shit, I've officially signed my death warrant, and I'm going to die—"

She started panicking; what was she going to do? Feign unconsciousness? Now, yes, that would be a good trick, wouldn't it? She'd learn from people that feigning ignorance was not necessarily a bad thing; it could come to use in one way or another.

When she heard the sound of the door opening, she had already flipped her whole body around such that she was facing the wall instead of the door.

In an instant, the door was shut again, enveloping the room in darkness once more.

Rin squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard to pretend as if she was still unconscious. She could hear the shuffling of footsteps from the entrance of the door, and she started wondering how many kidnappers there were—there seemed to be more than one of that rogue she had seen in the forest just before she was assaulted, but she could be wrong; she couldn't hear properly.

"I know you're in there," A gruffly voice said, and Rin could hear him approaching her, "Stop pretending, you hear me?"

She scowled. This man was not a dumb fellow. She could hear him breathing, indicating that he was standing very near her.

"Are you going to continue pretending?" He hesitated for a moment or two before he added, "Even at the expense of your life?"

The tension in the room grew. Rin froze; what was she going to do now? Should she continue pretending, or should she just talk to him? What if he tried something funny? What if he decided to torture her after he'd found out that she'd tried to escape?

Something was wrong. The man didn't say anything more after this. He just kept quiet, and all Rin could hear was his breathing—

—then the pain came. Rin screamed.

That violent rogue had used _something_ solid and large to hit her _feet_. She didn't know what it was, but it _hurt_ more badly than she could've ever imagined, and she couldn't stop screaming loudly from the pain that spread through her veins quickly. There was something wet oozing out from her legs, and Rin didn't need to guess to know that she was _bleeding_ profusely.

"Bastard," She growled menacingly, anger getting the better of her, "You bastard, you don't have the rights to hit me—"

"Finally," The man blurted out casually as though he was bored, "I've been waiting for you to give up that strong façade of yours. What a kid."

"Shut up, b-bastard—" She whimpered, her voice shaky and weak from the pain, "—tell m-me where I am, and why you brought me here!"

There was a chuckle erupting from the mysterious kidnapper before he crouched down in such a way that he was speaking in Rin's ears.

"The Red Spade," He uttered with a voice that was chilling to the bone, "I have it with me. _You_ are going to tell _me_ how I can use it."

"What Red Spade? What has it got to do with me? What on earth are y-you babbling about?" Rin spat.

"Don't play pretend, kiddo." The man lifted himself up and away from Rin's side. "It isn't good for you, if you know what I mean… You wouldn't want that other kid to die, would you? Now, if I recalled her name… It was 'Miku', heh?"

Rin widened her eyes. "What? You were the one who took Miku? Where is she!"

Rin let out another ear-piercing scream as she felt the full blunt force of something hitting her legs again. This time, she was becoming giddy and she could feel her strength rapidly depleting from the likes of her body; she was becoming weaker and weaker, most probably from the accelerated blood loss through the wounds and bruises on her legs.

"The Neru kid said you'd know everything," The man spat with disgust, "so don't try any tricks on me, mate. That Red Spade was your possession not long ago until she'd managed to steal it from your hands, wasn't it?"

Rin blinked her eyes; what on earth was he talking about? What red spade? She didn't have anything like that, didn't she? The only thing Neru managed to steal was the pendant with the red spade on it—

—her family heirloom.

So that had been it. Rin finally understood everything; that pendant was not just an ordinary pendant, but it was _the_ legendary red spade by itself…

Then, how did her mother get her hands on it?

"Only the owner of the red spade can fortify its powers," The man explained briefly, "One wish is all it will take… One wish. And you _will _help me get what _I_ want."

"If not…" He trailed off, and Rin gulped at his harsh, threatening tone, fully aware that he was going to put her life on the line if she did not comply with what he had just said.

"I will break your limbs and make sure you'll never be able to see the sunrise or sunset ever again…"

This was bad.

This was worse than bad; it was literally a nightmare, a living _hell_. Rin had to get out of here; this man was out of his mind! He was a crackpot!

She dragged her own body across the floor, moving away from the man as far as she could, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. She could feel blood dripping on the floor—_her_ blood—but she was constantly reminding herself to stay strong, to persevere, because it would all be over once she had her ass out of this stinking place.

The man didn't bother going after her. "Are you sure you want to make that decision, foolish kid?"

Of course she wanted that decision! She didn't even know what on earth was that red spade thing all about, must less know how to activate it or something.

Rin ignored him, trying her best to continue moving away from him—the further the better—because she didn't need to be physically abuse again; her body was already in a bad shape as it was… another blow to it could possibly break her limbs and paralyze her for eternity.

When she heard his sturdy footsteps approaching her, she froze.

_Tap, tap, tap…_

Shit.

He was going after _her_ now.

And it wouldn't take long, considering how Rin was moving at a pathetically slow pace compared to his pace.

She didn't want to _die_.

_Tap, tap, tap…_

She had to _live_.

_Tap, tap, tap…_

Live… for Meiko, for Miku, for her mother and…

_Tap, tap, tap…_

_Len._

That was right… She would _not _die.

Kagamine Rin could hear the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder; she couldn't think rationally and lucidly anymore. Her mind was already dead, already frozen, and all she could think about right now was the sound of her rapid heartbeat and her trembling hands and feet.

When she felt a presence hovering over her, Rin immediately grabbed the nearest thing she could find—it was that round and long thing that she tripped on just now—and pulled herself up in a sitting position.

She could hear the uneven breaths of that man, but she couldn't see him due to the darkness and her hazy vision.

His voice continued to rattle in her mind, replaying as if it was a movie.

* * *

"_I will break your limbs…"_

* * *

"_You'll never be able to see the sunrise or sunset ever again…"_

* * *

She could hear him chuckle. His voice was resounding in her ears, playing over and over again; it was causing her grief, pain and anger; she wanted that noise to stop… She wanted everything to be still and quiet. It was too noisy… too noisy for her…

She wanted to silence him forever…

Rin brought down the object in her hand, trying her might to strike that man or anything in her path.

There was a sickening crack, followed by a scream.

* * *

**A/N**: Is this counted as a cliffhanger now? Haha, I thought it was better than that cliffhanger I gave last chapter.

Thanks to all the people who reviewed last chapter. It really left me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and I did feel healthier when I read them *_*

Apparently a trip to the doctor's revealed that I have anemia. Haha. It is my fault, probably - I shouldn't have been so picky about food. A balanced and well-rounded diet is what makes everyone healthy, nee? Anyway, thanks for the people who have wished me well - I am recovering now; at least I have color on my cheeks and lips now rather than that pale, ghost-like face I've had for the past few days.

Chapter 12 probably won't be up that fast - Next week is going to be a pretty busy week for me. I have Sports' day in school and I'm now forfeited from the team because of my health issues T_T That's so sad... Well, at least I'll be cheering up for them, hmm?

Anyway, back to my point - I'll put Chapter 12 up when I finish writing Chapter 14 or 15. That's two more chapters to go - I haven't been... working... on them as of late. :l.

I can't make any promises, but perhaps next weekend would be an ideal date, no? Well I'll see about that. :L.

**Please review! It keeps me going :)**

Side note: -man is getting me addicted. Now, I seriously want to see _Neah _in action. Yes, Neah.


	12. Prelude to destruction

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews on previous chapter! It made me really happy and I went to work on the chapter, like, immediately. Haha. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to you guys. Thanks for supporting this fic!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: There are some... inappropriate content that may not be suitable for kids.

* * *

**"The Red Spade" - Act 12: Prelude to destruction**

* * *

_"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong.  
No matter how fast light travels,  
it finds the darkness has always got there first,  
and is waiting for it."__  
— Terry Pratchett_**  
**

It was completely silent. Time seemed to have been frozen, for everything seemed to be still. The only sounds that could be heard were the intense and uneven breathing of Rin, who was sprawled on the floor in an undignified heap.

Her hair was completely messed up and soaked with her own dirty sweat; they had this disgusting shine to it, which actually made it appalling to look at. Her lips were cracked and pale, deprived of the moisture it needed. Her legs were covered in discolored bruises and some open wounds with dried blood, making her look as if she had fell from somewhere high, perhaps a ledge.

She stirred, her mouth twitching, and her eyes slowly cracking open. She forced her eyes to adjust to the brightness from the sunlight before she eventually struggled to pull herself in an upright position.

Rin glanced around, although there was much she could not see due to the blurry vision she had. She squinted her swollen eyes and saw that the door was already unlocked and open; sunlight was already seeping through, and this made her realize that she had _not_ been in a room all along, but she had been in some unknown container all this while.

She came to that conclusion because there were no hallways or walls outside the door; it could not possibly be a room in a house. Instead, there were greeneries and what seemed to be an abandoned farmyard outside of the door.

So, the door was opened… the events of what happened last night suddenly came rushing down to her; she briefly remembered that she had swung something hard, and there was a scream—

—Shit. She couldn't remember a single thing about what she had done, or rather, what she had _not _done.

"So you're awake."

Rin snapped up and saw the malicious glint in Len's crimson red eyes. He was propped up in a wooden chair not far from her, eyeing her with a look of distaste and disgust.

Wait. What was he doing here?

"Len?" Rin said, trying to make sure that her eyes weren't just playing tricks on her. "What are you doing here—no, how'd you _find _your way here?"

Len rolled his eyes and scoffed as if she had asked a pointless question. "You left your ribbon behind the ground in that forest—I could only assume that something had happened to you. Luckily, though, I could sniff out your whereabouts because of the scent—or rather, _your_ scent—that lingered on that piece of ribbon."

Rin blinked twice at him. Oh, so he had used her scent on the ribbon as a guide to locate where she was. Yes, that was right; he was a wolf, a demon. He could do that, of course.

Something was terribly odd about Len's expression, though. It was livid—in a way, it was different because Len would usually have that look of mockery and confidence but this time, he was just… plain furious. There was no smirk, no teasing—no nothing—and the worst part was, Rin didn't even know what ticked him off to this extent.

As if Len had read her mind, he averted his gaze away from her and gestured to something beside her.

She turned around, and let out a horrifying shriek at the sight that greeted her.

Beside her was the body of a horribly amputated man who was grotesquely disfigured beyond recognition. There were bruises on his limbs, and a pool of blood below where he was lying. His eye sockets and lips were wide open, and the expression on his face was that of total shock. If it weren't for the scar on his face, Rin would've thought that this was _another_ man, not the man that had kidnapped her and brought her here.

She backed away from his limp body, cautiously scooting closer to the chair that Len was sitting on. With a gasp, she pulled herself up gently into a standing position while using the handles of the chair as support.

It took her a while to notice that she had been holding something in her right hand all this while; she glanced at said object, and screamed when she saw what it was.

It was a bat stained with blood.

She immediately felt her hands tremble and lose its grip on the bat itself. The bat slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud that seemed to echo in the silence. She felt energy and blood being drained out of her face, and in an instant, her face turned ghastly pale.

She watched with horrified eyes as Len trotted to the unmoving man and pressed the soles of his boots to his limbs. The man did not move, did _not_ breathe, and yet the look of horror and shock was still on his face.

Len retracted his foot. "Good thing he's dead."

What? Rin thought she'd heard him wrongly; _good_ thing? Was death a good thing? To Len, maybe, but to Rin, no; if this man were truly dead, then… then she would be classified as a murderer! She'd be punished and hanged or executed accordingly to the laws of the village!

"He's _dead_!" Rin repeated, feeling herself tremble even as she stood still, "_Dead_! What have I done?"

She stared at the unmoving corpse and suddenly started to panic. What was she going to do? She didn't mean to kill him! It was an unconscious act; she didn't even know she would kill him with that bat!

"Relax," Len mumbled upon seeing how Rin was fidgeting all over with an anxious expression on her face, "He deserved it. You don't have to act all panicky and stuff; this is not your fault."

Despite his words of comfort, Rin was still very much frightened by the events that transpired yesterday night. She continued to stare at the corpse, her eyes blank and emotionless; she could feel every inch of her skin crawling with fear. She just kept opening and closing her mouth, chanting words that are either incoherent or just plain nonsense.

She couldn't think properly; her mind was in a complete mess and all she could focus on was the fact that she was a murderer and she had just cold-bloodedly _murdered_ somebody whom she didn't even know that much to begin with.

"I _killed _him!" She screamed, taking a few steps back only to wince at the pain on her legs that flared through her system, "I _killed _him with my own hands! I _killed_ somebody, I—"

"Enough," Len growled, walking up to her with a threatening look, "You need to calm down, you idiot!"

_Calm_ down? Rin could be charged for murder and she could be executed or banished from the village and all Len could say was to _calm down_? Did he even know the severity of what she had done, or was he just pretending to care because it didn't even concern him or his life in the first place—

"I _killed_ a man," Rin argued, her throat suddenly dry, "and you expect me to _calm down_?"

With a snarl, Len pushed Rin into the nearby wall and pinned her hands by either sides of her face, rendering her immobile. He watched to see if she would retaliate, if she would somehow strike him with her legs, but she didn't; instead, her eyes watered up and she started to sob.

"I _killed_ him," She sobbed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "This man is _dead _because of me!"

"I said enough!" Len bellowed, glaring at the girl in front of him, "What did he do to you? He abused you, didn't he? He fucking deserved it, so stop blaming yourself and get over it!"

Len's words seem to fall on deaf ears as Rin continued to be wrecked in sobs. This time, though, as if Len had hit a nerve, Rin started thrashing about wildly, flailing her arms all about. It was as if she had completely lost her senses or lucidity; she was screaming like a madman, and as aggressive as a wild animal.

Regardless, Len had her pinned tightly onto the wall, ignoring her screams of protests. This girl here had broken, he knew.

"Let me go!" She yelled, her face distorted in sorrow and fury, "I killed the man! I don't deserve to live anymore! I killed him—"

Rin felt a blunt force struck against the back of her head. The last thing she saw was Len's furious expression before she gave in to unconsciousness and collapsed in his arms.

* * *

Kagamine Rin stared at the hollow white walls facing her with a blank expression on her face.

Len had brought her back _here_, into that miserable little isolated cottage in the woods. He had knocked her unconscious just now, and when she woke up, she found herself on the bed that used to belong to her grandmother. Of course, there was that familiar scent of cinnamon and mint that lingered on the blanket, which reminded her of how she used to visit her grandmother in the past.

But that wasn't the main concern right now.

She felt lifeless. She felt empty. She felt horrible. She couldn't breathe; it was as if she was being suffocated and deprived of oxygen because she had never _ever_ felt this horrible in her entire life before. This feeling, she thought, might be equivalent to the feeling of _death_ itself.

Beside her, was Len. He had been observing her the whole time after she'd regained her consciousness. Surprisingly, enough, though, he had not spoken a single word or said anything about her predicament. He was just gazing at her with a concerning look—Rin thought that she'd been hallucinating—and although he did look a little bored while he was sitting on the wooden chair, he made no mention of it.

He was waiting for her to calm down.

She made no move to start a conversation with him; she just continued to gaze at the vacant air with a sad frown on her lips.

Len growled. It was getting irritating. There was only this much patience he had.

"What the hell happened?" He started inquiring her with raised brows, "Why was that man after you?"

She sagged her shoulders. How was she going to respond to that question? She didn't know. She didn't even have the answer to that question! Her knowledge was extremely limited, and besides, she didn't feel like talking right now. Her mind was somewhere else, too preoccupied with other things to be worrying about _that _now.

Len thinned his lips when he saw no response from her. She was still facing the wall, _away_ from him, remaining silent and pretending that he _didn't_ exist. He didn't like it when there were no attempted answers to his questions.

"Rin," He repeated in a stern tone, "I'm talking to _you_."

Rin didn't say anything. She kept quiet, with the same dead expression on her face. It was as if she was putting up a mask to hide her emotions and to prevent her emotions from getting the better of her.

Now Len was getting ticked off. Nobody refuses him. _Nobody_. Not Rin, and for the record, _nobody_ _else_.

He gritted his teeth and tried to control his explosive temper. "Answer me."

She didn't reply.

This was it—this was the final straw.

In a swift motion, Len had grabbed Rin's wrist violently, pulling her towards him. She groaned at the harsh contact, and shivered when she saw Len's expression darkening to that of frustration. Intimidated by his furious expression, she did the wisest thing she could think of—turning her head away.

"Look at me," he demanded.

Rin ignored him. She couldn't. She didn't know why, but she couldn't. His eyes were too frightening—it was too red, like scarlet flames. It was too intense. It was painful to look.

It was like that man's blood; the disgusting shade of crimson that flowed out of his innards like a river.

* * *

_"I will break your limbs…"_

* * *

Rin froze.

She'd kill that man. Her hands were covered in blood. She was no different from him! Stained and tainted by evil intent, with the desire to make people suffer. She was going to face the consequences sooner or later. She was going to be beheaded, and killed, and probably banished or exiled to other parts of the world, or perhaps sent to a deserted island to be tortured.

She was going to _die_.

Her eyes widened.

Yes, she was going to die.

Kagamine Rin pulled her hand away from Len's bone-crushing grip and scooted away from him until she felt her back hit the cool wall behind her. She buried her face inside her arms and started rocking herself back and forth in an attempt to soothe or to calm her nerves down.

"Rin!" Len yelled, "I told you to fucking look at me!"

Len was acting as if he knew everything. Len was acting as if it was a joke. He wasn't at the least bit concerned, she knew, because it didn't concern him at all.

Rin felt him prying away her hands from her face violently, and she immediately did the first thing she could think of—push him away from her again. It didn't work this time, though, because Len held her wrists tightly and prevented her from moving away from him. The only thing Rin could do was to thrash about within his grasp.

"Let me go!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling her voice tremble.

Len seemed to be unfazed by her aggressiveness. "Not until you calm down."

"What do you know?" Rin growled, biting her lips, "You weren't the one who had done _it_! It doesn't concern you, it concerns _me_! I killed him, I _killed_ him, I murdered him and… and—"

"Shut your crap," He snarled, "So what if you _killed_ him? So what? What is done has already been done! What are you going to do about it? What _can _you do about it? Wallow in self-pity, you fool?"

She ceased her struggle and stared at Len.

"Do you think what you are doing right now would help you in any way possible? Wake up, Rin! Stop being such a fucked up brat like the rest of the humans!"

He was right.

She could not do anything about it.

She had to _face _reality; she had already murdered that man. What good would it do to be in denial? Her fate was already sealed tightly the moment she killed him. She was already destined to _die_.

She couldn't do anything anymore.

Tears were welling up in her eyes now. She didn't know why she was feeling upset and pathetically weak right now, but she could not hold back her tears.

"Look at me, Rin," He said, his voice softer this time round, and Rin did not even know why she held her head up and did exactly as told.

"Good." He gently released her wrists, letting them fall limply by her sides. "Now, I want you to tell me what happened back then—why was the man after you?"

Rin sniffed. She didn't know. He had the red spade with him and he had said something about her teaching him how to use it. "He… H-He said something about The Red Spade… I d-don't know."

Len's eyes seemed to sparkle with interest at the sound of that jewel, but he shook it off immediately as if it didn't matter to him more than it should have. "Did he say anything about its whereabouts?"

"No," Rin answered, "H-he… H-he told me I h-had it. It's my mother's jewel."

Len seemed to have widened his eye orbs considerably in shock, but he managed to conceal that look of shock written on his face in a minute. He looked as if he was deep in thought, as if he was thinking of something or _planning_ something, but he didn't say what it was.

"Where…" Len started, "Where is it now?"

Rin bit her lips. That jewel was the Red Spade, which was otherwise that particular jewel stolen by Neru the other day. That was what that thug had insinuated, anyway.

"It's that j-jewel that got s-stolen," She stammered, her voice getting softer and softer, "along w-with my purse."

Now, Len bit his lips. Rin was rather taken aback by his actions, because for that moment there he looked completely lost, like a wandering child lost in the middle of the woods, and it was the first time Rin saw him looking like _that_.

"So…" Len trailed off, the lost expression on his face now replaced by a fiendish expression.

He looked as if he was mumbling to himself. "… _That_ was with you all along… It explains everything…"

Rin wanted to probe but she promptly decided against it. It was his issue after all and what he was thinking right now may not be of her concern. Probing would just make matters worse.

* * *

_"If probing was bad, then what about murder?"_

* * *

Rin widened her eyes. What was that voice? Where was it coming from?

It... It sounded so familiar...

* * *

_"You killed me. You murdered me. You murderer."_

* * *

Rin's face paled. That voice was familiar—she'd heard it before in that enclosed room. It was the voice of that rogue, but he was supposed to be _dead_. Dead. Why was a dead person speaking to her as if he was there, right beside her?

She turned around to examine every crook and cranny of the room. There was Len, situated beside her, and he was mouthing something, but Rin couldn't hear what he was talking about; all she could hear was the rapid thumping of her heartbeat and the eerie laughter of _that_ man.

* * *

_"It's too late to make any redemptions, murderer. Burn in the flames of hell, girl… I'll see you there…"_

* * *

Hell.

She didn't want to go there.

But she had murdered that man… Murdered him… How could she not go to hell after this?

"N-no." Rin trembled, scooting to the end of the bed and making herself as small as possible. "_N-no_! _G_e_t_ a-_a_w_ay_ _f_r_o_m _m_e! D-_d_o_n_'t t_a_l_k_ t_o_ m-_m_e!"

She could see the vague image of Len moving closer to her, but she couldn't see him clearly. She could see him shouting at her with an expression of rage on his face, but she couldn't hear anything he said. She couldn't… she just couldn't concentrate.

Instead all she could hear was the words that the man had said to her, replaying over and over again in her head like he was hypnotizing her with his endless chanting.

She started to scream.

She could feel Len's rough hands around her shoulders and hands, pulling her closer to him, and although she allowed herself to be pulled, she still could not see or hear him clearly… Her vision was almost black and empty; even her senses were starting to dim and she felt herself becoming weaker and weaker, as if she was being pulled into another dimension.

Something cool slid onto her lips, and she widened her eyes in total shock.

She could feel something warm and something wet moving against her mouth like it was licking something, perhaps a candy.

The voices in her head began to disappear slowly. Once she had regained her vision, she was shocked to find Len's lips on her.

She did not know what to do. What was she supposed to do in such a situation?

She allowed Len to lead although she was still partially frozen with shock. She could feel his hand brushing against the back of her skin before it went beneath her shirt, caressing the small of her back slowly and gently.

He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue further in to seek entrance. Rin could feel him trembling a little with his awkward and inexperienced movements; he seemed to be confused, as if he didn't know what he was doing, but Rin couldn't blame him—it was, after all, expected as he was not a human and as such, he was different from the others.

She let out a soft whine when Len managed to caress a certain spot on her back. It… It was strange, but the sensation was heavenly and it felt extremely _good_. She'd never felt this good before… not in her life.

The feeling was all she could think of right now.

Upon hearing the gasps that he elicited from her, Len smirked; Rin could feel the corners of his lips tugging upwards but she made no move to mention it.

What was he doing to her? She didn't know if she wanted him to stop because it just felt so _good_, but at the same time, this… this was wrong.

She didn't know what she was doing. Unconsciously, she felt her back arch, and she encircled her hands around Len's back as if to encourage him further.

With a hiss, Len broke the kiss, and pushed her flat down onto the bed. He then grabbed both of her arms roughly, pinning them on either side of her head, his bigger and stronger frame towering above her.

He stopped to examine the shade of red on her face… He didn't know why she had made strange sounds but what he had did had managed to stop her from going all psychotic and her actions did tell her that she had liked what he had done to her and that he should continue with it.

Beneath him, Rin began to tremble under his harsh gaze. His eyes were clouded with lust and he… he had looked different. Very different; the shade of crimson on his eye orbs were now replaced by a darker shade of red.

Without a warning, his lips came crashing down onto hers once more, and this time, he was much more aggressive, trying to seek entrance into her lips, but Rin would just not open it.

He growled and removed his hands from hers, using them to caress Rin's neck. The touch sent an electrical tingling feeling through her system.

Rin gasped, arching her body upwards again, and Len took this chance to slip his tongue in.

She could feel his hand moving down slowly, the intimate contact sending multiple shivers down her spine. It came to rest on the hem of her shorts, and she could feel him tugging it down slowly—

—No. This was _wrong_! What was she doing?

The extent of what she had done began to hit her slowly. It disgusted her; she was a decent woman, not a woman to be played around with and thrown aside once she had been used!

She broke the kiss forcibly, turning her head stubbornly to one side, eliciting a frustrated growl from the man above her. He didn't stop there, though; his hands traveled down to where the hem of her shirt was, and he started to pull it upwards, revealing the creamy soft skin beneath—

"No," Rin mouthed out, reaching out to grab the hands that were trying to remove the barrier between them.

At the sound of her words, Len looked up with a curious expression on his face. Hadn't she liked what he was doing? Why was she asking for him to stop, now?

"_No_," Rin mumbled, biting her lips, "… _please_."

Disappointment and frustration flared through his eyes. He looked hesitant, as if he was trying his best to stop doing something that he liked, but he couldn't bring himself to do it well.

With a sigh, Len lifted himself up from the girl beneath him and removed himself from the bed.

"Sleep well," He muttered, his voice rough and edgy as if he was forcing himself to say those words and it didn't really mean anything at all.

He turned to leave her, but Rin grabbed his hand before he could move a single step away from her.

He eyed her suspiciously; what did she want, now? She had rejected him just now and by right, he should just have ignored her and just do whatever he liked, but something about that voice of hers made him stop and listen to her pleading and he didn't like it at all; it made him felt _weak_.

"Stay," She whispered, "… please."

Len frowned. This stupid girl was making him change, he knew.

* * *

**A/N: **Trust me when I said that I was a little bit hesitant about this update. I didn't want to update at all, as a matter of fact; don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't want to continue writing anymore, but it's just that I had an urge to go back and correct everything or rewrite this chapter before publishing it. But I figured I'd better publish it because my so called "editing" skills would take up to three-four months to complete and _that_, is what I would deem as... procrastination?

Well, not that I hadn't done it before...

So, anyways, kudos, I have published the 12th chapter of this fic! And now I must say that I have about... 15 more chapters to go? Haha! Maybe 10, I don't know, but it's around that number. This story is long, I know, and I apologize for that, because this story was sincerely just going to be one of my scrap ideas but I just happened to get more inspiration for it and kaboom! Here comes the plot bunnies ravaging my mind!

So 12 chapters have gone by and finally there are signs of development between the two, even though it's under... umm... a very... "unique" situation.

The next week chapters would be crazy, trust me. Well, maybe not the next chapter, but the chapter after the next would be slightly more dark-ish. If you think this is dark, sorry but there's more to come and those are worse because things happen, and when things happen, the rollercoaster goes plunging downwards.

At least things will finally be revealed slowly.

This chapter is seriously long... Is this the longest one? Wait, I think I have a longer one behind... Well, I don't know.

Anyway I believe the next update will be quite far from now, maybe a month from now. I don't know. It depends on whether I have the time and inspiration to write. I need inspiration and motivation from elsewhere. -cackles-

Okay, I believe I should stop ranting. _**Review**_, please?

**Side note:** Japan, please stay strong. Everyone is rooting for you. (I heard the creator of Pokemon and hello kitty has died. Seriously? I mean, seriously? Is that like, some sort of rumor or something? Because Pokemon is my childhood and I don't want it to die. I still love it.)


	13. A lie needs to be covered with another

A/N: A very big thank-you to all supporters and reviewers of TRS. You have made me continue this fic even during times when I tried to give up by abandoning it D: (Yes I did think of that but I decided against it because it's really something I'd like to finish for the readers)~

Sorry, I didn't have time to respond to the reviews... I'll just thank everyone. I'll try to respond the next time, though I can't make any promises.

TRS hits 50,000 words... (or more). Woohoo. And 150 reviews? I_ love_ you guys to death.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

**"The Red Spade": Act 13 - A lie needs to be covered by another**

* * *

_"I'm not upset that you lied to me.  
I'm just upset that from now on,  
I can't believe you."__  
—Fredrich Nietzsche_

Kagamine Rin ran a cool and icy finger down her blonde mane, her eyebrows contracted together to form a look of puzzlement. Her face was still flushed, her skin was still tingling from _his_ touch yesterday, and her memories… they were rather vague but pigments of memories from what transpired yesterday night was occupying her mind right now.

What had_ she_ done?

No, she hadn't done anything—she had been a little groggy and a little emotionally perturbed yesterday, but she could still remember what she did, or rather, what Len _hadn't_ done.

She immediately turned scarlet, horrified at how morbid her thoughts were at the moment; it was absolutely wrong of her to think of what they had done yesterday! It was no big deal, and besides, the both of them hadn't done it intentionally… He had done all of those things to her because she had been unstable yesterday, and if he hadn't went ahead to stop her from doing more harmful things, she could've done something awful to herself or to her loved ones.

She stretched herself, giving a short, stiff yawn, and adjusted herself on the bed such that she was now sitting vertically upright, with the wall behind supporting her weight.

She let her eyes trail slowly towards Len, who was fast asleep on the chair beside her bedposts. He looked a little uncomfortable; his head was dangling in mid-air, his arms crossed, and his legs were folded on the chair… He looked as though he was simply meditating, and someone may even unknowingly suspect that he was merely _pretending _to be asleep—_nobody_ in his or her right mind would be able to doze off to their peaceful lala-land with that kind of an awkward sleeping position!

_Of course he could sleep that way. He isn't human_, Rin reminded herself. How could she have forgotten that? He was no human… He had different habits.

That was right; he wasn't human, no matter how humane he might have seen to be last night. He was a demon, a wrecked up soul, and an evil fiend that was capable of massacring thousands of innocent civilians overnight; he was no mortal, and he could _never_ be a mortal no matter what he did. _Nothing_ could change that fact.

Rin inwardly shivered. Something in her heart made her feel a little hurt, but she didn't know what it was.

She let her gaze fall on the frame of the sleeping blond—he looked extremely blissful; his mouth were twitched in a soft, warm smile, something that Rin never thought he'd be capable of having, and his chest heaved up and down as he breathed out slowly…

There was no menacing aura enveloping his presence. Instead, he looked normal, and he… he looked so vulnerable, so _fragile_; it was as if he was a porcelain doll that had to be handled with extreme care or it'd break into pieces. She was almost certain that she'd never seen this side of him before.

He looked like _her_.

Rin mentally cursed herself and diverted her gaze away from him—what was she doing, looking at _him_ like that? It was indecent! She wasn't some sort of a lecherous baba; she was a chaste, pure girl with honor and dignity!

"I have to get out of here," She whispered to herself; she wasn't planning to stay here… not after what happened last night. She'd be embarrassed to actually continue staying here like an idiot, and Kagamine Rin was no idiot. Besides, this man was a distraction to her; if she stayed any longer, she would be lost amidst her thoughts and she would never, ever be able to decide what to do now that she had gotten herself in this mess…

Wait, had she just called him a man?

Rin shook her head stubbornly, pushing away all thoughts in her mind. She climbed out of bed carefully and trotted to where her slippers were, quietly slipping into them. For a moment there, Len had stirred a little in his sleep, causing Rin to jump in shock; the last thing she wanted was to have him awake!

Then he'd gone back to his initial position, his right elbow now placed on his thigh with his knuckles supporting his head.

She could hear him grumbling about something, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint what he was talking about; it sounded more like a murmur and it wasn't very clear, or at least, clear enough for Rin to hear.

She crept outside and gently slid the door shut, leaning against the door once she was done. She felt glad, but she didn't know why she had felt so; she was doing something _bad_, running away from him like this! She briefly wondered what his reaction would be when she woke up from his slumbers; would he scream at her? Would he look for her? Would he be worried, scrambling around to locate her? Would he do what he'd done to her last night?

"No! Bad, Rin, _bad_!" Rin reprimanded herself with a hiss. What was she doing? Her mind was thinking about _him _last night when it had more important things to think about! Now, she was already slightly messed up; if she was already constantly thinking about last night's events, then what would she think when she sees his crimson eye-orbs staring piercingly right into her soul?

What was _wrong_ with her?

"I made a right decision," She convinced herself, biting her nails as she dragged her feet to the route that would bring her out of the forest, "I did right. If I continued to stay beside him… I don't know what I'll…"

She breathed out, staring at the different types of flowers in bloom for the season. Yes, the flowers would change as the climate and the temperature changed. It also needed time to be in full bloom… just like humans did. All she needed was a little time, and she would eventually get over _everything_.

"I'm going to give myself some time to stop thinking about that _thing_… from yesterday," She declared to herself.

That uncomfortable, tingling sensation was still burning in her lower belly.

If Len had wanted to distract her from her initial worries, then he'd succeeded.

* * *

It took Rin a little more time than usual to reach the village. Rin had stopped more than she should when she'd seen those adorable quails in the pathway, and she had stopped to admire them from a distance—she didn't know why she was so fascinated with quails herself—and she had even attempted feed one of them before it had took off into the bright skies, seemingly afraid of her presence.

Now that she was here, however, she was shocked to find most of the villagers gathered around the village square. From the distance, she could make out the gentle outlines of the village children, women and men alike, but what came out as striking and odd to her was the presence of a woman with luscious baby-pink curls.

She made a dash for he crowd, and pushed her way through to get a better view of whatever was happening in the village. Was it some sort of a huge event? Was it somebody's birthday? The woman with the pink curls, Rin recalled, was the beautiful daughter of the village chief, and she was only present in the village when there was something big going on… which was why most of them would not even know that she was the daughter of the high-and-mighty village chief.

She was mumbling about something. Rin couldn't hear what she was mumbling about because she was far away from her and the crowd was creating some soft of ruckus with each and every one of them tiptoeing to see what was happening.

"Why am I so short?" Rin groaned to herself. She couldn't see properly but she _had _to know what was happening; it seemed to be of extreme importance to the village.

Then, all of a suddenly, the villagers had gone silent with looks of horror adorning their faces. They had stopped moving, so Rin could actually make her way through the crowd until she was in front of the authoritative woman… and what she had seen there and then shocked her and rendered her immobile.

In front of her very eyes was the very much familiar figure of the man who had abducted her yesterday—she could recognize that haunted, displeased look on his face _anywhere_. His eyes were closed tightly and his skin was now, instead of its healthy hue, a dull white.

Rin screamed.

She couldn't believe it—they'd found _him_! They had found him, _dead_! Just when she thought that she could at least listen to what Len had said last night… Just when she thought she had finally calmed down from her emotional breakdown yesterday, they'd gone and find him!

What was she going to do?

Her eyes were wide opened, and her whole petite frame was quivering with fear. She could feel her labored breathings getting faster and faster until she thought she was going to die, and the whole world seemed to be spinning around her… she couldn't see straight.

Fortunately for her, the others seemed to have reacted the same way too. That look on her face was merely an ordinary person's reaction if he or she had seen a corpse presented to her.

"Beloved villagers! Men or women, girl or boy," The woman with the authoritative look on her face had uttered, her cape fluttering with the wind behind her, "This man was found dead on the grounds our men has scouted, and we have every reason to believe that a demon has caused this man's demise!"

The crowd was now whispering amongst themselves as if they were gossiping about something interesting. Rin could not get herself to move away from the look on _his_ face—She could recall that day when he had pointed at her, demanding for her to burn in hell after what she had done to him…

"Luka!" One of the villagers—a man, Rin noticed—started, "I believe that this is the work of the demon that had slaughtered our maidens, or made the ladies in this village disappear! We must _not_ let him off the hook!"

The crowd cheered with him, all raising their fists as if they wanted justice to be served… and Rin's heart nearly skipped a beat. She was so afraid, so frightened… They looked as though they really wanted_ her_ to be murdered!

"We will not let him go alive, Brooks," Luka declared, and Rin immediately turned and took off after seeing that fiery glint in her eyes—she was serious! She really wanted to kill whoever was responsible for his death! Oh, what was she going to do? What _could _she possibly do? She had made the gravest mistake of her life back then, by striking him with an unknown object that she'd thought wouldn't have killed him! She never expected things to be this serious!

But she had done it because she wanted to defend herself, hadn't she? It was only right for her to do so! What was she, a lamb waiting to be devoured by its prey? Surely they'd understand that when she explained that to them.

"But… But I can't take t-that chance," Rin mumbled as soon as she had shut the door firmly behind her. She had headed back to her house as fast as her legs could take her, hoping that nobody would notice her unusual behavior.

"Rin?" A familiar voice called out for her, and she turned, only to sigh in relief when she realized it was just Meiko; she had thought it was someone else, waiting to arrest her here!

The brunette stared at her with a look of disapproval. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Rin quickly replied; she didn't want Meiko to know anything. Not when she was… no, what would she think of her, when she knew what Rin had done to an innocent man?

She had hoped Meiko wouldn't continue to probe, but atlas, her hope was ruined.

"You look horrified. Your face is pale." Meiko paused, wetting her lips. "Don't tell me it is 'nothing', Rin; you can't fool me."

"Goddesses," Meiko added on when she noticed the wounds and bruises on Rin's skin, "You... What did you do out there? What happened to you? Why are you injured?"

She approached her with a mildly concerned look, her hips swaying back and forth with every step she took. Rin trembled; she didn't want her to know anything! The less she knew, the better it was for her!

Meiko reached out, her hands gently caressing the side of Rin's face in a soothing manner. She looked genuinely concerned; it was the first time Rin had seen Meiko behave this way in front of her. She was coaxing her, Rin knew, and she wanted Rin to spill the beans right there and then.

She wasn't going to do it.

With a horrified shriek, Rin pushed the brunette's hands away from her face, and scrambled several feet away from her until she felt her back hit the sharp edge of the table with a dull 'thud'. She bit her lips, frantically shaking her head as if she was deranged.

"Don't _touch_ me. Don't come near me!"

Meiko shot her a quizzical look and complied, nodding her head softly. "All right, I won't do that, but you have to tell me what's wrong!"

"N-no," Rin shuddered, her face turning ghastly pale, "Nothing is wrong!"

"Don't lie to me, Rin. I have been with you for several years, and I've seen all sides of you even when you were a child—don't take me as a fool! You've never came home this late, Rin, _never_, and now… you've changed." Meiko took in a sharp breath here, as if she was trying to restrain herself. "I've been thinking about it… what happened? Why have you changed? What _made _you change? And the more I thought of it, the more I think that you _are_ keeping things from me!"

Rin flinched, subconsciously scratching her nails on the surface of the table behind her; it was a habit that she had when she was afraid, nervous or threatened. Meiko had hit the nail; she was right about her keeping things from her! But, what was Rin to say? She couldn't tell her about Len, and she would _never_ betray Len, not when he had…

Not when he had done so much for her yesterday…

"I'm not!" Rin retorted, her breath coming out shaky and uneven, "I… I don't have any things to keep from you… I don't—"

"—Why? Why are you still talking as if you are the only one who's hurt?"

Rin stared, wide-eyed at Meiko. The brunette looked _hurt_ for a moment there; she had her gaze cast on the floor, a psychological action that most people who do when one were guilty or upset by something in his or her mind. Rin couldn't believe it—Meiko was… Meiko was actually hurt? But why? Rin was doing the right thing, wasn't she? She had to keep the secrets to herself if she didn't want both parties to be hurt!

"Why can't you see that _I_ am hurt by your actions too?"

She was rendered speechless—there was nothing that she wanted to say, at this point of time. She couldn't bring herself to snap back at the brunette because there was a sharp pang of guilt that forced her to listen to what the brunette had to say.

"Rin—" The brunette steadily approached her, with heavy footsteps that seemed to repeatedly echo in Rin's vacant mind. "—Is somebody hurting you? Is _something_ trying to change you?"

She could feel her fingers on her shoulders, but Rin could not move; she couldn't pry them off her. She continued to gaze at the woman who'd leaned down such that their eyes were in level with each other. She had shook Rin gently, almost caringly, and Rin was willing herself not to break down in tears right there and then; she had to stay strong.

She couldn't cry, no she couldn't. If she had cried, then Meiko would definitely be suspicious of her!

She couldn't tell her… She couldn't say it! Nobody should know about her involvement in that man's death! What would happen to Meiko if she knew about it? Would she become an accomplice of her? Would she be burned alive, just like her? Would she be sent into exile, or would she _hate_ her for what she had done?

"Rin! You can tell me. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you anymore!"

Yes… She couldn't tell her if she didn't want any of the above to happen. She had to hide it from her, no matter what happened. She would bear this responsibility alone, and she would walk this path alone. Whatever happened to her in the future would be her own deserts.

"N-no!" Rin shouted, though her voice was so soft and trembling with so much fear that she'd thought she was whispering, "Please! Leave me alone! I have nothing to tell you! I d-don't know what you are talking about!"

A look of hurt crossed Meiko's eyes once more, before it was replaced by unimaginable fury. She immediately removed her hands from Rin, and stepped away from her with a snarl, heat emitting from her body as if she was on fire. In short, she looked extremely pissed with the trembling girl in front of her.

"Do what you want from now on, Rin. I tried to care but you _wouldn't_ let me."

Rin closed her eyes, ignoring the look on Meiko's face; it was making her feel guiltier and she had to resist the urge to explain her predicament to her.

"You want me to stay out of your life? You think you deserve the rights to be secretive about stuff after all that I have done for you? So be it; do what you will. I don't care anymore, Rin, and don't expect me to pry into your affairs from now onwards." Meiko turned to walk away, her back equally as frightening as her front. "You _asked _for it."

Rin winced. She was hurt at what Meiko had said to her; who wouldn't? She wanted so much to reach out for her, wanted so much to jump into her embrace and to cry in her arms… but she couldn't. She had to stay strong. She had to put up a false front. She could not get her involved. If she had to die, then she would die alone.

"Miku came here to look for you just now. She said she was at some tavern," Meiko growled, before she walked off, the shadows of her figure disappearing until Rin couldn't see it anymore.

Rin clenched her teeth, digging her nails into the skin of her arms to prevent herself from crying—pain always felt more intense than sorrow.

She didn't want to lose Meiko.

She loved her.

But if she really loved her, then all the more she should do this.

Yes, she _had_ to stay strong.

* * *

Kagamine Rin had made her way to the tavern, looking as though she had seen a ghost. She was engulfed in paranoia, her ears being extremely sensitive to noise around her; whether it was someone whispering, or whether it was an animal growling, she'd hear it all. She wanted to hear if people were talking about her; she wanted to know if people had known about the sins she had committed!

She stood in front of the door, giving it a few knocks before patiently waiting for the occupant to let her in. The hallway was very much empty, but her conscience was making her feel so queasy and uneasy that she was starting to see hallucinations of Luca _everywhere _she went.

When the door opened, Rin had practically hopped inside, into the warm arms of Hatsune Miku. Miku could not bear the sudden load of weight and as a result, almost fell back, but she had grabbed the door before she had done so.

She let out a shriek, however, but Rin didn't bother about her because there were things that she had to check for the moment.

She hurriedly went to shut the door, scanning the room for any suspicious articles or humans that may be eavesdropping in the vicinity. The seats were empty and the curtains fluttered wildly in the wind, revealing the empty windows behind them. She let her gaze trail to the fireplace and the bed, and inspected every nook and cranny before she heaved a sigh of relief.

Miku gave her a weird look. "What's wrong with you, now?"

"I'm just, well, y-yeah! Checking for any traces of—holy, Miku, what happened to your thigh?"

Rin gaped, looking at the wound on Miku's thigh—it wasn't a trivial wound at all; the wound was freshly made with dried blood surrounding it, and the skin with the wound was covered in dark blue patches of bruises, and the wound was about the size of a six-inch bread!

It wasn't bandaged at all… no proper treatment was given to the given, Rin could tell. Miku was just leaving it there, untouched. Perhaps she didn't know what to do with the wound, or perhaps the wound hurt too much for her to bear… Rin knew that it would be impossible for her to wash a wound this big without screaming in pain, much less wrap those bandages around the flesh.

"What… What happened to it?" Rin asked, pointing at it.

Miku simply shrugged, ushering Rin to sit down on the bed. Rin silently complied, her eyes never leaving the wound on Miku's thigh.

"Why is it like that—oh my goodness, Miku! What did you do—"

"He attacked me with something," Miku explained, her face looking as though she didn't care about the severity of her injury, "I didn't know what it was, seeing as though I was blindfolded and gagged and all…"

Rin didn't know what Miku was talking about until it struck her; Miku was kidnapped too, wasn't she? She had heard it from the man she'd killed! He had her back then!

"Wait—" Rin interrupted her before Miku could continue explaining, "—are we talking about the same person here? You mean that rowdy guy who kidnapped me, right?"

"Rowdy… guy?" Miku rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "Well, I heard the man talking, but I don't know if he looks rowdy. I suppose it's the same person, since—Wait, wait, Rin, are you trying to tell me you got kidnapped by _him_, too?"

"Yes! I was brought into some warehouse thing! I don't know where he brought me, but he said he had you in their hands!"

"Rin! You can't be serious—"

Rin chewed on her lips. "I went through the same thing as you, but I wasn't injured that badly—my goodness, what on earth happened to you? You looked like you came out from some wrestling match."

"He got me." Miku moved to sit beside Rin on the bed. "He… I was waiting for you back there, at the fountain, but he'd got me when I became worried, and went to look for you. It all happened so quickly… I couldn't think. I didn't have time to react, Rin… I was knocked out and I didn't even know what happened until I regained my consciousness and when I did, I realized that I was locked up in some fancy dungeon-like thing.

"He questioned me about some weird stuff, like… Like what I'd know about some bizarre spade… and what I knew about _you_. I didn't tell him anything—I couldn't—so he did the next best thing he could do—he bashed me up with some hard object… I don't know what it was, and it led to this injury here."

Rin shuddered. It was her fault that Miku was injured this badly! Miku had tried to protect her but… but she'd gotten hit as a result… oh, what kind of friend was Rin? Where was she when Miku needed her? She could imagine it all; the horror of being beaten by that guy, but Miku faced it worse than she did.

"You aren't any better than I am, Rin." Miku stated after analyzing Rin's wounds.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to do it anymore."

It was only a few minutes after Rin had uttered that carelessly, that she had realized that it was a slip of her tongue. She mentally cursed herself for the slip-up, and ignored the curious look that Miku was giving her.

Miku raised her brow. "What? What are you talking about—wait, there was a guy who had been found _dead_—Oh my gosh, Rin, you _can't _be serious!"

_Great_, Rin thought. _Now she knows. I'm going to get her implicated… not that she already isn't, anyway._

"Rin," Miku stated, staring at Rin with a look so serious and deadly, Rin could've mistaken her for another person. "Tell me everything. _Now_."

Rin frowned. She couldn't escape now—denying everything was not going to help her this time round, because Miku wasn't Meiko; while Meiko was equally as adamant as Miku, Meiko had an explosive short fuse and an impatient personality. She would just give up a while after she couldn't get her answer, but Miku… Miku was, well, _Miku_. Nothing could change that.

She had to tell her everything now that she knew of it.

Rin was so engrossed in her chat; she did not realize the shadow that was lurking outside the hallway of the tavern.

Someone had been following her.

* * *

A/N: Say byebye to all the sweet fluffy moments... In a few chapters time, all the angst will be unleashed (though there will be sweeter moments after that because of what they will go through)... and something horrible and unexpected is going to happen... but it's all going to be good. I hope. I bet nobody would be expecting what's yet to come... Haha. Don't kill me please D:

Oh yeah, I removed the poll on my profile because it wasn't working OTL. Baah, I don't need one, I'll update them equally, heh heh.

I'll update TRS ASAP. Maybe next week... It depends on my mood and time~ Bah I hope people are still reading this.

WHY WAI I CAN'T FIND HARVEST MOON: ANIMAL PARADE ANYMORE IN MY COUNTRY! Outta stock?

**Review**? :


	14. Sinner, art thou still secure?

**A/N**: No. I absolutely _dreaded_ updating this fic. I was trying to delay its updates by concentrating on other fics... Yes, yes, I know, I am evil, and therefore you guys can set evil chibis to feed on me, or throw pitchforks and sporks at me. -Runs-

Please, forgive me. I'm insane right now and I've been thinking of only submitting one-shots because I fell in deep, sweet, innocent love with them! OAO

EDIT1/ Fixed some errors pointed out by the reviewers. Thank you! :)

EDIT2/ Help, I can't seem to access the reviews on this chapter... The reviews count is actually increasing and I still have review alerts on my email, but I can't see them! How am I supposed to reply to the reviews! D: Anyone knows how to solve this? Am I the only one who can't see the reviews?

.

Disclaimer:_ Not_ mine. (Not yours, either.)

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* * *

**"The Red Spade"**

**Act 14: Sinner, art thou still secure?**

* * *

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Kagamine Rin took in a deep breath, enjoying the captivating scent of the flowers in full bloom. She let her fingers slide on the smooth surface of the Limbertwig on the apple tree, observing its dull, red juicy skin before plucking it off its roots and dumping it into the empty basket placed beside her, on the dirty ground.

She looked around the trees, keeping an eye out for fruits with unusually attractive colors, and gasped when she saw numerous similar apples from a smaller tree behind the larger one. Well, the apples had looked similar, but these few ones, Rin noticed, were medium in size with prominent ribs on the body and eye. Their bright yellow skins were flushed reddish orange and striped red, looking extremely appetizing and equally as juicy as the first one she'd picked.

She plucked one of them, and took a soft, small bite; she was aware that apples should not be eaten this way, but they had looked too delicious for her to pass… Besides, she wanted to know how they tasted before she picked more of them. She didn't want to end up picking rotten apples that tasted like candles and wax, or apples that smelled like the zoo.

The yellow flesh within the apple was firm and crisp, and its juice spilled into her mouth, exploding her taste buds. She squealed in delight; the apple had a sweet subacid flavor, something that Rin would like because she had a sweet tooth for everything that tasted like honey, caramel or any type of candies and chocolates.

She'd definitely have to pick some of these for Meiko and Miku.

Her mind briefly wandered off to the conversation she had with Miku a few hours ago; it had been short, but intense. Every word Miku and her had uttered in the room was made known only to the both of them, and should anyone know about it… she'd be killed, seeing as though she had practically confessed her own crimes to Miku.

.

.

* * *

"What— What were you thinking back then, striking him as though you thought he wouldn't have died—"

* * *

"—I didn't know, Miku, I _didn't_ know!"

"How was I supposed to, under such circumstances? If I didn't do something, he would have killed _me_, and _I_ would be the one lying there instead of _him_!"

* * *

"Rin, _don't_ you tell anyone else about this matter! This is a secret between the two of us; _nobody_ else should know about this. Do you understand?"

* * *

"If someone were to get a hold of this news, then… Rin, they'll _kill _you! Did you see how they were mercilessly begging for the one responsible to be brutally killed? They won't let anyone off the hook! Even if you explained to them, do you think they'd reason with you?"

* * *

.

.

Rin frowned, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She was still very much frightened by the fact that they were out to apprehend the perpetrator, and worse still, she simply could not imagine what would become of her should they find out about her… but that could be prevented if she had listened to what Miku had told her—if she didn't tell anyone else, and only the both of them knew about this stuff, then nobody else would ever know and she would most definitely never be caught by those people, would she?

She traced her steps carefully back to her house, peering around cautiously to see if anyone was watching her from somewhere—_anywhere_—and sighed when she found none.

With gentle movements similar to that of a nymph's, she slid inside the room, ensuring that the lock was latched firmly in place and the door was shut tightly. She'd requested for the blacksmith to place a lock here, on the door, so that it wouldn't budge no matter how hard someone wanted to knock it down… not without the proper keys, that is. Of course, she had given another set of the duplicated keys to Meiko, and Meiko hadn't said anything about it—she never even asked her why she wanted a lock there—which obviously meant that she'd gotten her real furious now.

Rin scanned the room—it was empty. Nobody was here. Meiko wasn't here. She frowned for the umpteenth time, her throat suddenly dry and her high hopes of getting on Meiko's good side now brutally crushed by reality itself. She had initially thought that it would be good for her to whip up some of her favorite dishes with the apples and all, but Meiko wasn't even interested, so it would seem… she didn't even want to _see _her.

"Why? Oh, why, goddesses? Why do you do this to me?" She asked, talking to herself. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she suddenly felt nauseous.

Rin was ready to give up eating meat and turning vegetarian, if the goddesses were able to save her from this pathetic plight. All she wanted right now was to go back to that old life of hers… the life she'd had with Meiko. She had terribly missed the old times when they were happily giggling and teasing each other… She had loads of fun, although the older brunette liked making sexual innuendos to tease Rin.

She sighed sadly, willing herself to face reality. That was all in the past, and it could never happen again.

"What's wrong with you, now?"

Rin gulped, staring at the blank, open space in front of her. _Someone _was watching her. Someone was talking to her! Someone had eavesdropped on her conversation, and they'd know! They'd know of her horribly disgusting misdeeds!

She saw the shadows on the floor moving gently, and they swayed side to side on the walls at the far end of the room. They appeared to be… dancing? She didn't know what they were doing, but Rin was glad that the _shadows_ were talking to her; it was better than having one of those murderous villagers talking to her! She'd never stay still and she would definitely show signs of being nervous in front of them!

Then, the familiar red eyes blinked at her before the shadow dissipated into the air to form the outlines of Len, who was now hovering in mid-air with a bored look on his face.

"L-Len? Why are you here—"

"Says the person who escaped before I could wake up. Shouldn't _I _be the one asking _you_ that question?"

Rin could not stop the blush that crept to her face—she could still remember what he'd done during that night… no, or rather, what he hadn't done… She was trying her best not to show her embarrassment to Len because he didn't even seem to be the least bit affected by his previous actions.

"I had t-to be home," Rin blurted out the first excuse that came up on her mind, "Meiko was waiting for me!"

Len raised a brow inquisitively at her reaction. He was baffled by her strange reaction; Rin hadn't been one to stutter like that when he'd seen her. Nonetheless, he didn't continue to ask her anything else, and simply took the answer as that, though he suspected—no, he _knew_—that she was lying through her teeth.

Said girl pointed at him accusingly. "So, what are you d-doing here?"

"Che," Len uttered with a look of disdain, "and here, girl, you've forgotten about what you were supposed to do… Remember what you promised to do for me on the first day we met?"

Rin tried to think; what was he… _Oh_. It hit her mind almost instantly, but she tried to feign ignorance.

"You said you were to bring food to me," Len complained, landing on the floor with soft, flowy steps. "But it has been almost a _week_ and you haven't brought anything to me! If it weren't for the fact that I am not a human, I would have died of starvation!"

"A _week_?" She retorted, her mind mentally calculating the days she'd forgotten to bring him food; it has clearly not been a week! … Or had it? She couldn't remember; she was too busy thinking about other things to care about something as trivial as this. "It has not been that long! It's _barely _a week!"

Len smirked slyly. "Tsk, now the girl is feigning ignorance, pretending as though she doesn't remember anything… Oh well, I suppose I have to remind her, then, wouldn't I?"

"What are you—"

He scooted closer to Rin, and leaned down such that she could feel his hot breath trickling the sensitive part of her ears. She could feel his grin getting _wider_, if anything, and she turned scarlet immediately from the intimate contact.

"I did so much things for you that night… surely you remember? Now, now, it wouldn't be so much of me to ask for a little 'payment' now, would it?"

Rin screamed.

Len _was_ a pervert.

What was he insinuating, now? It seemed as though he was asking Rin to offer her body to him! Which was ridiculous and downright despicable, and something that pure, little innocent Rin would definitely _not_ do… She'd rather die before she could get her virginity taken away from her! She was not a courtesan; neither was she a cheap nymphomaniac!

He eyed her suspiciously, cocking his eyebrows, and Rin pushed him away from her, retaining some distance away from him.

"Len—" She emptied the basket of its apples, and shielded herself with the basket, preventing Len from making any further moves.

"What now, you dolt—"

"You pervert!" Rin shrieked, scrunching her face up in a look of disgust, "I have always thought you were just a freak, and somewhat of a sadist, but I never expected you to be a _pervert_!"

"The hell?" Len argued, taking a few steps in front, but knew better than to do that when Rin sent her infamous death glare at him, wagging the basket on her hand. Of course, he wasn't _afraid _of her, no, of course not! He was merely amused by her reaction and accusation—why on earth was she calling him a pervert out of the blue when he had done nothing wrong?

"Pervert—"

"What? Why am I a pervert, you—"

"I'm not giving my body to _you_!" Rin declared, pushing her back against the sharp edge of the table, "Never will I lose my virginity to someone who… who's like_ you_! My virginity is only for someone I truly love, like my prince charming, and you are not even an inch—"

"Who said anything about _that_?" Len retorted calmly, grinning sinisterly at her with a sharp, predatory look, "I never said anything about ravaging your body, you idiot. I was talking about food. I want food. Is that so hard to understand, or do you just not understand simple English?"

Rin could feel her face _melting_ now. What had she gotten herself into? She had assumed that he was talking about her… and… now that he knew she had misunderstood his words, he was going to tease her to no end!

"Tsk… Mind in the gutter, Rin?" Len grumbled, "Poor little Rin isn't as innocent and pure as I thought she'd be, huh?"

Rin wanted to find some witty way to bash that smug face of his, or to make that smirk on his face disappear. He'd looked so confident, so smug… it almost provoked Rin; she couldn't stand him! What was he doing, teasing her like that? She was already as embarrassed as she was—couldn't he just leave her be, for now? Nevertheless, she didn't know what she could say, and saying things at this point of time would only get her deeper into hot soup.

"Of course, if you _want_ to do it…" Len said, his voice husky and heated to the point that Rin actually thought it was somewhat _sexy_ (and she immediately drove that outrageous thought out of her mind. She wasn't sick!). He inched closer, ignoring the basket that Rin was holding desperately on her hands, and crept closer to her until she was face to face with him with the basket still blocking him from getting any closer to her.

"…Then I'd gladly _take_ your body," he added on, a mischievous smile tugging on his lips. He licked his lips as if she was a little prey going to be eaten up by the predator, and she did the first thing she thought of doing when she saw that perverted, gruesome expression on his face.

She lashed her legs out, attempting to kick him in the shin—

—and he got hit.

He leapt away from her in a hurry, clutching his supposed injury with a look of pain on his face. Truth be told, Rin didn't actually think that she'd hit him; he was like a shadow, with extremely fast reflexes and whatnot! Hence, when he got hit, she immediately rushed to his side and knelt down, inspecting his wound with a frantic expression on her face.

"Shit—" Rin gasped, pressing her fingers on Len's shin, "I didn't think I'd actually hit you—why the hell _didn't _you dodge?"

"Well, why did you hit me in the first place, then?" Len stared, amazedly, at how anxious Rin was at the moment—he hadn't been expecting this much of a reaction from her.

"I thought you _would_ dodge! You were doing this countless of times before!"

"And you'd think that I wouldn't have done so?"

"What? What are you trying to drive at, now?"

"It means that I was just kidding with the injured thing." Len shrugged, watching as Rin slowly stood up with a horrified expression plastered on her oval-shaped face.

"What—" Rin squeaked, "—Wait, you were pretending to be injured?"

She stared at the exact spot where she'd kicked him, and true enough, there were no signs of injury or bruises inflicted on the skin there. It was bare and completely devoid of any impurities, and it still looked so… so smooth.

"Food, _human_, food," Len taunted, wagging his fingers at her, "You wouldn't give it to me."

With an enraged cry, Rin pointed to the bunch of apples scattered around the table. He'd pretended to be hurt, and that had…. Why couldn't he have seen how worried she was when he had done that? And all he wanted was food! He'd done all of this to get her to provide him with food out of sympathy!

She felt like teaching him a lesson and of course, felt like screaming at him for doing something like that, but she refrained from doing so; what good would it do? Besides, why was she so… so mad in the first place?

She sighed. She didn't know what was happening to her now.

"You can feed on those first," Rin growled, "I'll go outside and pick some more so that I'd be able to cook something for you later."

She turned around, making her way out of the house. Before she left, she could hear Len crunching desperately on the apples like he hadn't eaten for days.

"I guess he really _is_ hungry," She muttered to herself.

She sighed; it was going to be a _long_ day, no doubt.

When Rin had opened the door that led her to the village, she missed the shadow that was creeping away from her silently.

* * *

The villagers were as cheerful as always, with the children running around in circles, playing 'Tag', while the adults just sat near the fountains, enjoying the beautiful view of the skies and the flowers in bloom. It was a contrast to what she'd thought it would be—Rin initially thought that the village would be _dead_ and silent now that a corpse had been found… but that wasn't the case.

She was glad, actually, to find herself in this scenario. It just meant that they were just letting nature take its course, and they wouldn't bother looking for the murderer responsible for that brute's death. They were just waiting for the murderer to come to them, which could never happen.

She was about to head to the orchard, but a groan from someone near her caught her attention and she turned to it, immediately.

It was a strange man that she'd never seen before, not in her life as a native villager of this village. He was dressed in a long robe which made him look like one of those priests from the city, and the robe looked expensive… One look and Rin could tell that the robe was made of silk and satin, which was something that the village could never afford to buy.

He had his hair—which was strangely striking _purple_—bundled up in a high ponytail, making him look androgynous. He had girly features, with a sharp nose and well-defined cheekbones that made Rin briefly wonder if he was a hermaphrodite instead… well, it was possible, wasn't it?

He seemed to have noticed Rin looking at him for quite some time, and he approached her with a suspicious look on his face.

She remained silent—what was he going to do? Was he perhaps a tourist new to this village, or was he a friend of the dead brute, coming back to seek revenge against her for her crimes?

She shuddered, reluctantly feeling her feet shake vigorously.

"Villagers," He called out, catching the people's attention all at once; they eyed Rin and that mysterious guy with a puzzled look. His voice, Rin thought, didn't sound as girly as she'd thought it would be; it was a tad deeper than Len's… and that came out as a shock to her.

But what was he really doing, speaking to the villagers like that? He was standing in front of her house! What was he, a villain trying to destroy her or something?

He glanced up and down of the house, raising his hands like a saint. Then, he'd ushered everyone from the village to follow them—including Rin—and she gently complied, thinking that he was going to make a harsh comment about the formation of her poorly developed house.

He led the villagers to the village square, which was quite a distance away from Rin's house, and stood there like a majestic being before he had his finger pointed in the direction of Rin's house.

"That house is the source of evil!" He demanded angrily, removing the sheathed sword clasped tightly on the right of his hip.

"What?"

"What is he talking about—"

Rin could hear the crowd murmuring softly amongst themselves, but she wasn't interested in what they were talking about. Instead, she was intrigued by what this man here, was babbling about; he had a whole lot of guts, insulting her abode like that! She wanted to hear what his explanation was; what made him come up with that conclusion? And, who was he, anyway?

"Silence! I am an exorcist by the name of 'Gakupo', hired by Miss Luka of this village!" He openly declared, pausing to wait until he had the crowd's full attention before adding on, "I have been sent here to investigate the mysterious murder of a fellow villager, and I have made my detour around the village, only to find that house filled with an evil, malevolent, vicious spirit!"

Rin almost gagged upon hearing his words.

Luka had sent him here?

But that must mean… Oh no, if he was truly an exorcist, then that would mean that he was able to sense _Len_! If he could be able to sense Len, then that would mean disaster; Len would be caught and people would think that he was the murderer when she had been the one to have done so!

… But the people couldn't see him, could they?

_She_ could. And she didn't know if that Gakupo guy could, too.

She wasn't going to take the risk.

Rin slipped away from the crowd, hurrying back to her house before any one of them could see her. She removed her slippers and was about to step inside when she felt someone—or something—tugging at her hair as if she was a dirty, broken rag doll found on the streets.

When she turned, she shrieked in horror at the realization of what had happened—standing in front of her was the beautiful chief's daughter, Megurine Luka, in all her glory. She'd stopped her before she could warn Len of that mysterious exorcist hired to get rid of him!

"I got you now," Luka snarled fiercely like a warrior going out to war, "… _sinner."_

* * *

(to be continued)

**A/N**: No. I_ hate _this chapter... somehow D:

That was the reason why I refused to update orz. I know, I'm a failure now ._.

If you hate this chapter, you'll hate the next one even more. A teaser just for you guys:

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"Stop, stop!"

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"_S_T_O_P! Rin didn't do anything—she didn't kill the man! _I _did! She was just covering up for me—"

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**A/N**: ._. Horrible much? Yes, you can guess how it is going to be. It's going to be an emotional and crazy chapter next time round... which is another reason why I don't want to update TRS anymore. Anyway, anybody wants to make a guess of who'd say that? Winner gets a cookie.

I'll still _try_ to update D: If anyone noticed, my updates are getting faster and faster now... it's because it's the June holidays here and I'm having a break so I can write as much as I'd like. However, when school reopens, that'd be the real torture... I won't be able to update as much as I wanted to. /SHOT

I can update one of my fics on Sunday/Saturday, so I'm wondering, TRS, Silent Masquerade, or another new one-shot? I'd like to hear from you guys :D

Please, **_review_**? Last chapter must have sucked a lot. The reviews decreased by a huge number! TAT -emo-


	15. O Menacing spirit, perish!

**A/N: **Thanks to those who reviewed. Last chapter's reception really made me happy! Haha. Thus I decided to update quickly... it wouldn't be good to keep people waiting (especially with a cliffhanger), would it?

I'm sorry for the lack of fluffiness and the angst here and there, but I'll make sure the fluff will be there after everything :) I need to make sure they go through hardships first before they can develop better... because I don't think it's possible for relationships to occur without going through any forms of hardships, no? Dx

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. (_Not_ yours, either)

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* * *

**"The Red Spade"**

**Act 15 - O Menacing spirit, perish!**

* * *

Kagamine Rin felt like she was floating above the skies, with her arms spread wide; she was light-headed, her senses were tingly, and there was a strange, ticklish sensation that prickled at her skin from all sorts of directions. It felt like the cool, windy breeze, actually, but at the same time, it didn't; the wind was much gentler, and it wouldn't feel this rough.

She tried to open her eyes, and even tried to move—she couldn't. Something was holding her down against her will, something that prohibited her from moving freely around as she pleased.

She let out a wail and tried to move her joints by kicking, punching or using her head to bash into something, but her body was not responding normally as it should, and her joints were all glued to its own spot, refusing to comply with her wishes—they could _not_ move.

She ceased her struggling when she'd heard a deep, husky voice at the back of her mind.

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* * *

"Don't worry… I won't let you die. You still _need_ to live…"

* * *

.

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She gasped, opening her eyes at that very instant—_something_ was talking to her. She found that voice somehow very familiar—she'd heard it somewhere before, she _swore_—but she couldn't remember whom it had come from. It was a voice that sounded as though it had been mocking her, but at the same time concerned with her welfare… however, what the voice had told her sounded as if the person who'd said it was extremely dangerous.

That was actually the least bit of her worry right now.

As soon as she had snapped her eyes open, Rin noticed that she was surrounded by almost all of the villagers in the village; they were raising their fists and stomping their feet, a look of fury crossing their features. Some of them even had weapons—the women carried pots, frying pans and kitchen knives while the men were armed with spears, clubs and bows—and they waved their weapons as if she was their target.

Then it occurred to her; she _was_ their target!

She tried to move once more, only to find her limbs tightly bounded to something behind her; her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were bounded against each other. She turned and noticed that she was suspended in mid-air, a few feet away from the ground.

She gulped, when she took notice of the hays dumped unceremoniously around her body. There were a few men standing in front of Luka, and those men were holding lighted torches in their grips. They'd carry the same, murderous aura around them, just like the villagers did.

Rin struggled again, feeling a sense of horror and desperation wash over her; she had to do something right now. She wasn't going to be a sitting duck. The hays and the flames meant that they were going to _burn_ her alive… it was a basic, corporal punishment for anyone who'd pose as a threat to the village and its peace.

"Let me go," She pleaded, anxiety clearly shown in her voice, "… _please_."

"Be quiet, you demon," Gakupo—the exorcist—commanded curtly. His eyes were brutal and they did not even show the least bit of sympathy or doubt for Rin. "I knew you were an accursed, evil _demoness_ the first time I saw you! If it were not for Brooks, then we'd never be able to catch you."

"… B-Brooks?" Rin blinked her eyes, feeling lost. That name had a ring to it but she didn't remember where or when she had heard it… she could remember that it did belong to one of the villagers, though.

"Now, you shall be sent back to where you came from, demoness," Gakupo hissed, malice dripping from his tone, "In the name of Kamui, I'll send you back to where you should belong—_hell_!"

Rin gulped. He was dead serious. She'd known that this day would come, but she didn't know that it would be so soon.

She _didn't_ want to die!

"No, wait—" Rin protested, her eyes widening in fear; the people were all looking like she was really a fiend, but she was really just as humane as the rest of them!

"Don't you _dare _talk to us when you have harmed so many villagers—"

"Yes! What'd you do to that poor man, huh? Our daughters weren't enough for you?"

"My daughter is missing! Where did you take her—"

"I didn't take any of them!" Rin wailed, desperately trying to convince the people that she was no demon and she had done none of the things that the villagers had accused her of doing. However, it proved to be futile because her voice was lost to the crowd's louder ones, and none of the people were really paying attention to her at all. They were only concerned about how they wanted her to suffer in front of their very eyes.

"Please—" Rin begged, hoping to gather attention from the crowd, "—Please! I'm not a demon! Please, believe me!"

The people continued chatting on and rambling about their woes, ignoring Rin's cries of protests. It was no use. No matter how hard she'd tried to break free, no matter how hard she tried to tell them that she was not a demon, it wouldn't work because deep down in their hearts, they had long decided to pass judgment on her and all of the sins she had supposedly committed.

She sagged her shoulders, feeling something stinging her eyes, and bit her lips. She was going to _die_….

"Be quiet!"

Rin turned her attention to the source of the voice instantly. Said person had managed to silence the crowd in one swift motion… and as expected, it had been Megurine Luka, the only woman with authority in the village.

She raised her left hand high up into the air.

"Speak. Explain. Do what you will."

Rin gritted her teeth. In the silence, she could almost hear her teeth chattering madly from apprehension and pressure. Although Luka had sounded as though she was helping her, her tone clearly said otherwise. She wasn't trying to help her at all; she was trying to get her to confess to all the crimes that she had (never) done!

She felt like she was being suffocated. She could not bring herself to bore into those sharp sets of eyes staring directly at her with an authoritative and demanding look.

"I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself—"

"—I'm… I'm not a demon," Rin hissed, her limbs shaking badly.

"Not a demon?" Luka turned to point at the corpse placed on top of a wheel cart. "Then, what is this? Is this not your doing? It is what you did—you murdered villagers, you took the souls of our fellow villagers and you_ dare _say you are not a demon?"

"No! I'm not a demon!" Rin pursed her lips. How was she going to get the point across? She did murder the man, but she was not a demon. The murder also had a reason behind it; it could be classified as an act of self-defense, and if she managed to convince the people of the situation back then, then perhaps they'd let her go.

She would try.

"I… I _did_ kill the man… but I'm not a demon, I swear! I'm a human! Please, please, you have to believe me; I was forced to kill him because he… he wanted my life! If I had not struck first, then _I_ would be the one lying down there!"

A horrified gasp escaped from the crowd's lips, and Rin's heart tightened with panic; they didn't believe her. And the worst part was, she had managed to make the situation worse by confessing to a crime that she had (unknowingly) committed. What had she gotten herself into, once more?

"That's enough evidence to convict you, demoness," Gakupo spat, seemingly disgusted with what she had done, "I believe it is time to send you back to your world; Men, light up the fire!"

Rin's heart fluttered with sheer trepidation. She could almost feel her blood flowing backwards because she suddenly felt as cold as the icebergs at sea; her lips turned ghastly pale, and she felt as if she was torn into two pieces, and then sewn back into one. What… what was she supposed to do now?

They had the green lights to set her on fire! What else could she do?

"Wait!"

That familiar voice made Rin snap her head up with a glimpse of hope in her heart. She could never ever forget about this voice anywhere she went because she had grown so accustomed by it just by growing up with the owner of said voice.

True enough, Meiko was the one who had shouted. She made her way to her through the crowd, shoving through them roughly, earning a few glares here and there.

When she was just about to reach Rin, a few villagers rushed up to grab her arms, preventing her from moving any further.

She struggled, trying to shake them off as hard as she could—those men were strong, but Meiko was a renowned fighter as well. She was on par with them.

"Unhand her." Luka raised that hand of hers again. "Let her have her last words."

Then the villagers immediately let go of the brunette, allowing her to freely make her way forward until she was a few feet away from Rin.

Rin looked down at the brunette. She looked… mortified. She looked just like her… She looked so afraid, so weak… so different. Rin could not believe that this was the Meiko she knew.

"Rin!" She yelled, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I believe you and I _know_ you wouldn't hurt a single damn soul because you wouldn't have the guts to do so! Tell them, Rin; tell them that you didn't kill any one of them—"

"M-Meiko…" Rin uttered, her voice trailing off at how affectionate the brunette still was to her. She did not have the courage to face her; she _had_ killed someone. It was the truth that she had been trying to run away from since she had committed this act… but the truth would always come to light, just like how her fate was already set in front of her. Death was not an option; it was imminent.

"You didn't kill anyone, did you? Tell them it's a lie, tell them it's—"

"Are you an idiot?" One of the villagers sneered, "She just confessed to killing that man there a few minutes ago! Weren't you listening? Did you come later?"

Meiko's face fell. "… What?"

Rin couldn't bear to look at longer. The look on Meiko's face was simply… too… hurting for her to continue staring; she wasn't sure if she would be able to continue staying strong with that kind of expression on Meiko's face. She felt like her heart had been shattered to pieces… she was terribly ashamed of herself… and she couldn't imagine how Meiko would be feeling right now because she would be feeling a hundred times worse than her.

The brunette narrowed her pupils as realization began to hit her.

"Is… Is that what you've been keeping from me?" The brunette whispered, her voice trembling.

Rin couldn't find the right words to reply her, and so she didn't—she simply kept her mouth shut.

"You _idiot_!" Meiko said harshly, her voice sore, "You'd think keeping this from me would _save_ me from any trouble? You'd think that if you left me alone in the dark, _I_ would be safe? What… what were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

Rin gritted her teeth. "I couldn't… I—"

"Enough." Luka stepped forward of the brunette, blocking her from her view. "It's time for judgment to be passed on this sinful being who has erred—Men, light up the fire!"

The men carrying the torches nodded, and proceeded near where Rin was. She could see the flames flickering from where she was; would it flicker like that when it was lighted up on her body? She could feel the warmth of the flames when they approached her with soft, agonizing steps; would it feel the same when the warmth spread in her body, or would it feel even hotter?

Unknowingly, Rin could feel tears trickling down her skin, creating a watery path down her wet cheeks.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hearing Meiko's screams behind in the background. She… couldn't let Meiko see her like this. Not like _this_. She wanted Meiko to retain a happy memory of her leaving the world with a _smile_… she couldn't cry… not right now. She would not allow Meiko to witness her crying; not like this… not when she was about to leave her.

"Rin! Let go of me, fools—"

The tears starting coming down faster and faster… Rin couldn't stop it anymore. It felt horrible; the sensation was burning her whole. She broke into sobs, her whole body trembling with her overwhelming emotions.

_Meiko…_

"Stop, stop!" Meiko's voice resounded in her mind, "_S_T_O_P! Rin didn't do anything—she didn't kill the man! _I _did! She was just covering up for me—"

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* * *

"_Meiko, can I ask you a question?" _

"_I'm working right now, kid."_

_"Please?"_

_"_… _Oh, alright; spit it out… whatever it is that you want to say."_

_"Why am I… Why am I without a 'father' or a 'mother'? I've played with the kids in the village, and all of them have dads and moms. They fetch them every time after they've played with me… but why am I all alone in the world?"_

* * *

.

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"—Rin, _say_ something!" Meiko's desperate cries were louder than before, if possible.

"TELL THEM THAT YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM! I DID! _I_ pushed the blame to you because I wanted to get myself out of the hook—"

Her voice.

So loud.

So warm.

It was just like before.

It was _her_ voice.

Only her voice.

And it sounded like _that_ time, when she had answered every single one of Rin's innocent question.

_Meiko…_

_._

_.  
_

* * *

_"Oh, so that was what you're worried about?"_

"_I… ahh… Yes… Um…"_

"_You don't have to bother about that, though… You're barely seven are you're asking me that nonsensical question! I don't even have an answer to that!"_

"_But… My friends say I'm a 'creep'… Am I a horrible creep, Meiko? Did papa and mama throw me away because I was a creep? Was I a bad, horrible girl to them?"_

"… _Now, now… What on earth are you thinking again, kid?"_

"_Is… Is that why they didn't want me?"_

"_Kid…"_

"_I… Meiko, I want to know… I've been bad, haven't I?"_

"_No. It's not your fault, you idiot, and don't you ask me that question again, you fool! What… what on earth gave you that idea? Geez… You're a really tough kid, asking an adult something like that."_

"_But… But I_—"

_"—No buts. Aren't you a greedy one, Rin? Why would you need a dad or a mom?"_

"… _I—"_

* * *

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Rin could hear Meiko's cries fading from the background as she was dragged away by several villagers. She could see her expression then; it had been exactly the same as the expression she had shown her when Rin had asked that question ages ago.

She didn't relent even when the villagers were shoving her through one of the huts; she dug her feet firmly into the ground, refusing to yield, and thrashed wildly about... she was a strong woman, but nonetheless, the villagers outnumbered her and managed to throw her into the room, shutting the door tightly behind them after that.

Yet, from here, Rin could still hear her cries... She could hear Meiko attempting to strike down the door with her formidable fists.

She would hurt herself if it kept up. Rin knew. She _knew_ it better than anyone else.

_Meiko…_

The flames were brought near to her surroundings and she could feel the heat radiating from the torches. It felt… warm. It didn't feel as bad as she thought it would be. It would be nice if the flames were always this warm, even after the villagers had put the haystacks on fire. That way, she wouldn't feel any pain…

_Meiko…_

She shut her eyes.

_… Thank you._

Then she could feel an instant burst of heat surrounding her, and she knew that they had finally set the hays on fire.

She did the last thing she thought she'd do.

She smiled.

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* * *

"_You don't need any dad or mom, kid... you have me. And that's all you need."_

* * *

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* * *

(to be continued)

**A/N**: I am an evil person. I know. This is horrible. I tried to make it as heart-wrenching as I could but I think I fail at it Dx /SHOT. I reread it tons of times and it was originally without the Rin smile thing at the end and the recollection and stuff but... erm... as I have mentioned, I am an evil person. I want to make it SAD D: (But I can't so blahblahj)

Those who guessed it was Meiko at the end: GOOD JOB. You were right! Give yourself a pat on the back, and here, have a cookie each. -Gives out cookie-

Meiko is closer to Rin than anybody else. Sorry, but I had to establish it—Meiko was the one who had watched Rin grow up, after all... and even though she mentioned that she didn't want to meddle in her affairs anymore, after finding out what she was hiding from her (though not completely), she would definitely be the _first_ one to go out there with cracked fists.

I just wanted to say... look around you. Some people may look like they don't care about you, but truth is, they just don't know _how_ to show their concern for you. It'll be too late if we do not learn how to appreciate those people, ne? :)

Nuff' talk. Teaser now.

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She gazed down at the white beneath her. She was dead. That would explain everything she wanted to know right now.

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That's all folks. Next update might be long now. I have work to catch up with D: **Review**? ;)


	16. Doll in the cradle

**A/N**: So you know, blahblahj. I don't know what came over me... but I decided to come back and publish this chapter because -cough- I received a lot of reviews for the last chapter... and I couldn't resist. -shivers-

Thank the reviewers for this chapter, haha. Now... enjoy?

* * *

It was so bright… the light was blinding her eyes.

There was nothing from where she was standing at; no houses, no trees, no pathways—_nothing_. All she could see was a piece of white, blank space surrounding her… she didn't know where to go. Everywhere seemed to look identical to her and it seemed as though every single direction would lead to a never-ending stretch of blankness.

Rin blinked her eyes. Was this heaven? Had she been sent to heaven by the angels that had been watching for her from here while silently guarding her through her life?

No… she killed someone. She had sinned. She was a sinner. How could she have the luxury of being sent to heaven? This was no heaven. It was hell.

Hell in heaven's guise.

She took a step forward, hearing the sound of her heavy footstep echoing through the empty space. They were the only things she could hear.

She gazed down at the white beneath her. She was dead. That would explain everything she wanted to know right now.

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"Why? Why did you do this to me, Rin? I _loved _you! I loved you from the bottom of my heart, but why did you crush my hopes for you by doing such a silly little thing—"

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Meiko…?

Yes. She was sure that voice had belonged to Meiko, but… but why was she hearing her voice even _after _she had been dead?

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"Rin? Please hang on there, okay? Don't leave me—_us_—here, alone!"

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.

Now, that had been Miku talking to her…

But nobody was here. It was empty. Everywhere looked the same. There were no shadows, no silhouettes and definitely no humans lurking around where she was right now.

Was it a dream?

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"You dolt. What are you doing _here_? You should be down there, back with _me_! Or are you trying to avoid your responsibilities as my meal ticket again? Stupid, idle little human... I had no idea you were _this_ weak."

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.

Rin reached out, trying to feel for anyone or anything that may possibly be hidden from her view.

"L… Len?"

Nobody responded.

She took another step forward, looking around for any traces of her friends from her life. She could hear them clearly, but she couldn't see them at all… just _what_ was going on?

Then she proceeded, walking faster and faster until she broke into a run to nowhere.

.

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"Come… Come to _me_, my little _creation_…"

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She froze in her tracks, trying hard to think of the voice that had just spoken to her. Out of all of the voices she had heard here, she… couldn't remember anything about this one. She had no clue whom it had belonged to, or what she or he had meant by that.

When she looked back up again, she noticed a door materializing in front of her very eyes.

There were strange sounds coming from behind the door… very strange sounds. It appeared as though the sounds were crying for help… It was so noisy… so noisy…

It was beckoning her to move forward.

Rin wrapped her hands around the metal knob, and turned.

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* * *

**The Red Spade**

**Act 16 – Doll in the cradle**

* * *

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Rin could feel warmth.

She could feel it… she could feel something wrapped around her body. It was so warm, and so soft… but what was it? She was dead. How could she still be capable of having emotions or any of her senses for that matter?

Slowly and carefully, she willed herself to open her eyes—she didn't know she had been shutting them until she had noticed the dark patch of darkness in front of her sight.

"… She's awake," A familiar voice pointed out. Rin could recognize that voice but she couldn't think right now. Her mind was in turmoil and… her memories… they were vague.

She could faintly make out the outlines of several human anatomies standing in front of her with looks of shock and horror. They were gaping at her as if she had done something astonishing, and amongst the crowd, Rin could make out the familiar stature of Megurine Luka and Gakupo.

She took a deep breath in—wait, she could _breathe_?

She… wasn't she dead? Then why was she…

She looked around her; she could see the pole she was restrained on a few minutes ago, when she had still been up there. It had been badly burnt, but it was not severe enough to ruin its whole form. The ropes and the haystacks, however, had not been as fortunate as the pole; they had all been burnt into crisp and what were left of them were only the dark ashes on the ground.

Rin was confused. Shouldn't she be up there?

If she wasn't up there, then where was she right now?

Something moved under her, and she panicked. What was it, this time? They felt like hands… Cool, lifeless hands…

She turned towards her side and gasped in shock.

She wasn't standing at all; she was lying down horizontally… and she wasn't even _on _the ground because a pair of hands were carrying her and securing her at her position. The most unbelievable part of it was the fact that the person who had been carrying her in his arms was Len!

He looked completely different. Usually, although Len was menacing and threatening, he did not possess the kind of looks that'd kill anyone in one glance. Instead, he would always have that smug, irremovable smirk on his face that Rin had grew accustomed to.

But right now, he had a terrible, vicious and absolutely _murderous_ snarl on his face. His face was distorted in complete fury, and his lips were curled in a cruel, disgusted frown… there was no sign of the cocky and arrogant demon Rin usually knew of. His crimson eyes had grown darker and his eyes were narrowed at the people standing in front of the both of them.

"Why… Why the heck is she floating in mid-air?"

"Shit! She's a demon! A demon! She's going to kill us all—"

"I knew it, she… she was… She was the one responsible for everything despite her denials—"

Len's lips twitched. His face became slightly darker, and Rin could hear his knuckles cracking faintly.

"Stupid, idiotic _humans_," He spat, his voice filled with so much malevolence and hate that it simply made Rin's heart twist in fear, "How _dare_ they talk as if they know everything when they don't know a single thing at all. _Fucking_ disgusting retards…"

"L-Len?" Rin cooed from where she was, and eyed him with a look of wariness. Perhaps it had just been a hallucination, but when Len looked back at Rin, his gaze seemed to have softened a little.

"You are the _worst_ of them all—" Len said, his expression darkening once more, "—keep your mouth _shut_. You said you were going to get more apples for me, but when I came out, your idiocy had gotten you into trouble. Had I not been there to pull you out in time…"

Rin winced. He was _harsh_, but he was also right at the same time. He seemed to have noticed her reaction, and hence resisted the urge to add more smart-ass comments that would just make Rin feel a thousand times worse than she already was.

"Th… Th-They can't see you, can they?" Rin asked curiously in a soft voice, being careful not to let anyone hear the conversation between them both. The last thing she wanted right now was to have the villagers think that she could talk to the air… or talk to herself.

Len merely nodded his head. "They think you're using witchcraft. How naïve… as expected from those pea-brained imbeciles…"

She shifted herself in his grasp and ran her eyes over the crowd. Megurine Luka was still standing there, but her look of confidence had long disappeared from her face and was replaced by a look of anxiousness; her eyebrows were furrowed and her mouth was agape. She looked like she wanted to approach Rin, but she did not want to take that risk… she was, simply put, intimidated by the sight of what was happening before her eyes.

Gakupo had his dark eyes widened in disbelief. He looked like he had not anticipated this to happen, and Rin could only conclude that although Gakupo had been a skilled exorcist, he had not seen cases whereby humans (or 'demons', as he claimed) were levitating in mid-air (of course, that wasn't exactly the case right now, but he couldn't see Len, so he must have thought that).

"S-Stand back," He ordered, moving to unsheathe his sword, "I'm going to exorcise this ugly, vengeful spirit."

Len gritted his teeth. They were persistent, those flies. "Can you walk?"

"What?" Rin whispered, "Why?"

"Because I'm going to deal with him… and you're just going to get into my way if you stay here; I can't move freely with your weight in my hands. I want you to move elsewhere."

"W… what? But—"

"They think of _you_ as their target, not me. If anything, it's you they'd want to strike. I won't let that happen, but you've _got_ to listen to my instructions first, you dolt."

"I—"

"—Shit, he's coming—you _idiot_, stop thinking and _move_!"

Gakupo was swift. He had leapt in front of Len before he could have a chance to place Rin down on the ground. His steps were as light as a feather's, and his movements were so quick; Len didn't even have a chance to catch him off guard. He struck his sword out, attempting to slice Rin's flesh, but Len was not one that lacked in his speed of reflexes, and hence he was able to dodge the attempted assault before it had caused any grave injury.

Rin panicked. The both of them were engaged in some fighting waltz of some sort, but the irony was there—Gakupo didn't know whom he was dealing with. Nonetheless, being caught up between those two was definitely not very favorable for her; she felt like she was a scarecrow!

She gave out a short cry as Gakupo's sword managed to slit her sleeves; it tore by a few inches, but thankfully there had been no scratches on her skin.

"How am I supposed to move when you're moving like _that_?" Rin retorted, forgetting that Gakupo was there and he could hear her very clearly.

"Just stand still and die!" Gakupo yelled, lunging towards her with the intent to impale that sword of his into her skull. He was so fast Rin couldn't even see where he would be attacking from; she was confused and she was dizzy because Len was spinning her around and around like she was some kind of a rag doll at his disposal.

At the last moment, however, Len managed to twirl to the side, making Gakupo miss his target by a few margin.

Rin squeaked, horrified to think what would have become of her if that piece of sharp metal edge had pierced through her bones or her flesh.

"I told you to move just now, but you wouldn't listen!" Len grumbled, panting between breaths; Rin was unaware that he would actually feel tired. "Look what you have gotten me into! Now I can't attack him because I don't have hands to do so, and that madman's trying to strike—_holy crap_—"

The exorcist had managed to shop off a few strands of Rin's lovely blonde hair, much to her dismay. Len had almost been a few seconds late because of his distraction, but he had ducked beneath Gakupo's arms before he could find his way to Rin's throat.

Rin didn't know what to make of it.

"If we keep up, I'm going to lose," Len admitted grimly, backing up to the pole behind him, "I swear, you're like my liability, girl!"

She watched him from where she was; Len was tired. She could tell by the way he breathed; it was as if he was gasping desperately for air instead, and his movements were starting to get a little jerky. His grip on her loosened and when he turned to evade the assailant's attacks, it felt like Rin could slide off from his arms any moment now.

Rin tensed up from where she was at his arms. She felt nauseous.

She didn't want to do it, but there was no other option—she could only think of one idea that came straight to her mind. One that would undoubtedly save her and Len from all of this mess.

"… Let's run."

Len shot her an incredulous look, spinning around the exorcist once more.

"Are you _fucking_ retarded?"

"Well, you have a better idea?" She shot back. She was afraid; she felt like she could die any moment now and she didn't like it at all.

He didn't shoot her back with some witty reply, and by the looks of everything, Rin must have managed to convince him to do what she had said. It was only understandable, after all—he had mentioned that if it kept up, they would both end up into their ends, and it would be bad. The only solution that would solve the problem at hand right now was the one that Rin had suggested, however appalling it might be.

With a hiss, Len threw Rin over his shoulders before the annoying exorcist had a chance to attack, and dove into the route that let to the deserted woods.

The poor blonde girl cried out harshly as Len had not been gentle with his moves; he was brutal, and he had just thrown her over as if she had just been a sack of potatoes. Her jaw line hit Len's back rather roughly, and the force of the impact made Rin swallow her saliva in pain… she was almost certain that her tooth would have dropped if it weren't for the fact that she drank milk everyday.

The exorcist—Gakupo—had tried to follow the both of them, but was stopped by Megurine's orders. Rin could not hear what the both of them were talking about… but they had somehow decided to leave her be for the time being. It must have been Luka's decision.

Something... wasn't right.

As Len continued his way to the forest, Rin could feel her vision blurring until she couldn't see the villagers anymore.

That was when her brain decided to die on her.

She blacked out.

* * *

When Kagamine Rin opened her eyes to welcome the darkness of the evening, Len was sitting by her bed with an irritated scowl on his face. There were visible veins at the side of his head as he continued to stare at her unmoving form on the sheets intently as though she was a piece of meat that he wanted to devour quickly.

Under the dim light, Rin could vaguely hear him tapping his fingers impatiently on the frame of the chair he was sitting on.

_Where... am I?_

"Oi, I can see you—you're awake. Don't pretend. Turn around, would you?"

Rin did as told, flinging herself upright on the bed, albeit a little too fast for her liking. The sudden movement contracted her muscles and she hissed in pain as white, searing pain shot through her calves like wildfire spreading through a forest. She gripped her flesh in an instant, rubbing her hands up and down that particular spot to soothe and dull the pain... but apparently, it was not that useful. Although it was dark, she could still see the rope burns etched on her skin, and she decided that _that_ must be the source of her pain.

"You idiotic human, don't do that! Give it to me," Len shot, prying her hands off her bruised skin. He had replaced her hands with his, and stretched her leg out towards his thighs in one swift motion, and Rin groaned in exaggerated pain when she heard her bones crack beneath his touch.

"Ouch—_that_ hurt! You're making it worse, I—eek!"

He repeated that motion several times, making Rin writhe uncomfortably beside him. She was gripping the bed sheets firmly, keeping herself from screaming as he continued his ministrations on her calf. It had_ hurt_, but she found that the pain had considerably gone down, and she was feeling much, _much_ better than before... even if she did _not_ want to admit it. She didn't want to boost that man's ego. He was too full of himself, for goddesses' sake, and someday, that pride of his _would_ get him into more trouble.

"It's better now, isn't it?" He asked, watching her expression with a smirk, "I know I'm good at this."

"No! It's not any better!" She lied, pouting her lips, "You suck, Len!"

"Don't lie, Rin. I'm not a human—I can sense it when a human lies to me... it's pretty obvious isn't it? You just don't want to admit it... oh, and stop doing that with your lips, it's..." Len bit his lips, trailing off as if he was considering whether he should finish his sentence.

"What? What is _it_?" Rin asked. She was going to declare war on this fella here if he were to say it was _ugly _or shoot her with whatever brilliant insults he could come up with.

"... Nothing," He answered smoothly, "I'm going to be serious and ask you a question now—what the heck are you going to do _now_?"

"Now?"

"You've seen it. They're out there, hunting you down... and I brought you back to this cottage in the woods because your idea was to _run_," Len drawled, emphasizing on the last word with venom and displeasure, "... but are you going to continue running_ forever_? Do you think that by running forever, everything will be fine? Is that what you_ think_ when you told me to run?"

Rin stared at him with a blank look on her face. She was aware that whenever she zoned out, she would be looking like a clueless idiot... but he was right. She couldn't run forever, they'd find her sooner or later. It was just a matter of time. By running, she didn't manage to solve anything; she was merely trying to delay the inevitable from happening.

"I... don't know."

"You _don't know_," Len mocked, imitating her voice with a scowl, "So when you told me to run, you had no idea what you were_ thinking_! That was exactly why I didn't want to run in the first place, you fool—it would have been better for me to stay there and_ kill_ them all... and when I told you to run, you didn't! You hesitated!"

"I hesitated because I couldn't just leave _you_ there!" Rin screamed back at him with a hurt expression on her face, "... You were alone, and Gakupo was an exorcist! What would happen if he used his skills...! He... he would _kill_ you! I... couldn't... I couldn't let... something like that happen! I won't abandon anyone. I... especially you, I—"

"Do you really think I'm _that_ weak? In your eyes, do you think I'm that weak? Just what on earth," Len muttered, glaring at her, "... do you think I'm incapable of doing?"

"… I didn't want to take the risk! I really couldn't think logically back then, and all I could come up with was to run because it was the only way that could save us both— "

"Correction—It saved _me_," Len stated as a matter-of-factly, "_not_ you. And now, how, pray tell, are you intending to save yourself from all of this mess? Do you think that by doing that… you'd be helping me?"

"I… I couldn't—"

"You aren't helping me at all! Now we have a bigger problem! They'll come after you and I'll be inclined to—"

"—I... I'm sorry," Rin whispered, a tear sliding down her cheeks, "I'm sorry. I just wanted you—_us_—to l-live."

Something about that tone was issuing Len a warning. It was telling Len to shut the hell up because Rin was getting a tad more emotional and if he allowed the conversation to go on like this, something unfavorable was going to happen.

And so he did. He kept quiet, observing her silently.

Len watched as she began to sob... she was quiet at first, biting her lips and clenching her fists to prevent herself from making any sounds, but she eventually gave in to sorrow and wept. He didn't know what to say to her when she was crying, not like _this_, but... but the tears that streamed down her cheeks and the sounds she made were strangely _addicting_...

It was just like that time, Len remembered. That time, when she had cried and lost herself after she had murdered that man, he was pleased by her reaction... by her_ tears_. He couldn't control himself and eventually went to do... those things to her.

"I want to _live_," Rin cried out in between sobs, "Even if I know that they will catch me one way or another... I just want to _live_. For Meiko, for Miku, for everyone that loved me... I _need_ to _live_... I—"

Len didn't know what came over him when he yanked Rin closer to his body. There was something... something about Rin that was making Len feel the need to watch over her, to calm her down, to soothe her... and yet, he didn't know what it was. It was an emotion that he had never, ever felt before. He had never known it existed until Rin had appeared in his life.

Rin just continued sobbing, enveloped by the warmth in his arms.

She knew that she would never be able to run forever, but... but if this moment could last forever, then she would already be contented.

That was all she ever wanted.

* * *

(to be continued)

**A/N**: No more cliffies. Be thankful, y'all! -evil laughter-

I followed FMA for this kind of style. Ahahaha. During the last few episodes, they had the scenes first before there was the OP. I found it really good for this chapter, especially to show Rin's... erm... adventure in heaven? :P

Okay, now I'm seriously off to work. No more updates till next month... really! -slaps myself- Erm... I can't resist... the... temptation...

Teaser!

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"Len? Is there something wrong with you...? Why are you—Len!"

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Now, I'm off to do charity work. Please **_review_**. It makes me happy! :)


	17. Second life, second chance

**Author's note: **Loved the response for last chapter. ;)

Now I have a longer chapter because I felt like writing more after seeing the number of reviews I got for last chapter. Hoorah.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Vocaloid or any of its characters.

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* * *

**The Red Spade**

**Act 17 – Second life, second chance  
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* * *

Kagamine Rin stared at Len in disbelief. She let her eyes wander slowly to the mess on the table and in the sink, then back to the mess in the dark wok. The wok was… simply terrifying to look at. It contained tons of weird combination of colors and a strange pungent smell that filled the air… it smelled like ammonia gas. Rin didn't know what the heck Len had thrown into the wok, but whatever it was… it looked like a mass combination of roaches, rotten eggs, bad cheese, horse butter, cow dung and human… poop.

Alright. Rin was exaggerating. It wasn't_ that_ bad, but it came close to being that horrid.

The sink was the worst part. It was dripping with horrible, unknown liquids and tons of slices of apple skin, pears, pineapples and bones were thrown casually in the sink. It had stunk to high heavens and only the goddesses knew what Len had done to it while she had been asleep.

Kagamine Rin had been asleep a while ago, happily wandering about dreamland, but the horrors of her nightmare truly began when Rin managed to pick up the smell of something disgusting and appalling. It made Rin wonder what on earth had happened and she, for a second there, even thought that a skunk had miraculously found its way in and had decided to release its special gas in front of her face because she had been snoring so damn loudly.

But no; when she awoke, she found the culprit standing right in front of the 'masterpiece' with his head cocked to one side, examining the piece of thrash that he had somehow came up with.

That look… was he actually _pleased _with that… that _thing_?

"LEN!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing in the small confinements of the room, "WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO TO THE KITCHEN?"

Said man turned to look at her with that same, unmoving look on his face. He seem to have noticed the murderous aura that was emitting out of Rin's body, and that look on Rin's face which blatantly screamed bloody murder, but even if he did, it did not affect him. On the other hand, he seemed to be intrigued with Rin's sudden outburst.

"Oh, I see you're awake," Len said lazily with a bored look on his face, "I thought you were sleeping. Tch. Anyway, what's your problem for screaming this early in the morning?"

"What's _my_ problem?" Rin echoed, pointing at the ridiculous monstrosity that he had created with his hands, "I should be asking you that question! What on Earth is _your_ problem? What the heck did you do to the kitchen? There's this smell… ugh, it's nauseating!"

"Nauseating?" Len blinked several times at the _thing_ he had somehow came up with. "I _cooked _this thing, you dolt. Whatever I cooked can't be nauseating; your senses are ridiculously _numb_."

"Excuse me? I happened to be the chef for my non-existent family for several consecutive years. Are you seriously trying to compare your culinary skills with a master chef like _me_?"

"Che." Len looked away from Rin. "A dolt is forever a dolt. She will never learn how to appreciate things that comes from somebody else but herself. If you look carefully, you'll notice that what I have came up with is perfectly unique. Nobody has ever tried this before!"

"That's only because nobody in their right mind would whip up something like _this_!" Rin pointed out, suddenly getting very agitated. She continued staring at the thrash in the sink and in the wok… how was she going to clear that all up? If she used her hands… no, Rin would never ever bring herself to touch something like that!

This was it. That stupid _idiot_ who had created that mess was going to be the one on his knees, cleaning up every single thing in there.

He. Was. Going. To. Die.

Die.

"You're just afraid to admit it, Rin. You're afraid that I'd be better than you."

Rin saw red. "What in the world… is wrong with _you_?"

"Tsk." Len shook his head in a disapproving manner. "Answer that yourself. I do not wish to speak to someone _small_."

"Len, for—argh. Never mind." She shook her head, a migraine starting to form in her skull. She couldn't believe Len; what had he been thinking? Was he even in the right mind? Something like that was inedible, and he was telling her that it was the best food in the whole universe? He must have never ever tasted good food in his life before. Then, as if she had came up with something brilliant, a devious grin appeared on her face.

"… Len, since you say your cooking is _that_ good," Rin whispered hoarsely, imaginary horns appearing on either sides of her head, "… why don't you _try_ it and tell me if it's as good as you said it is?"

Now, Rin was turning the tables on Len. She knew that he wouldn't have the guts to try it. While he was a perfectly stubborn man that insisted that his… creation… was a masterpiece, he would never try it because deep down in his heart, he knew it was horrendous. He just did not want to admit it because he had an extremely thick skin and he valued pride above every single thing he possessed.

She was right.

"I don't need to try it to know, human. I know it from the way it _looks_."

"And I know that it looks _gross_." Here, Len shot her a glare, but Rin just casually ignored it. "Come on, Len… do you really think that you don't have to try it to know? What happened to all that talk you had? Weren't you so insistent on that being the best thing you've tasted? Or… are you _afraid_?"

Rin knew that taunting him would work, as it sure did work. Len snarled at her for a moment or two before grabbing a random wooden spoon he had left near the wok, and scooped the horrendous slimy and tar-like thing into the curve of the spoon. With a gasp, Rin watch; was he really going to eat that thing? It had looked like it could poison anybody, but then again… Len was not 'anybody' and he would be the one that was least-affected, even if it had been poison.

He popped it effortlessly into his mouth as though it had been a candy, and munched on it.

Rin continued to survey him from where she was standing. She could see him chewing softly on it, savoring the foreign taste in his mouth. She did not know if it had been delicious because Len's expression was the same throughout the whole process.

"Is… Is it good?" She finally decided to ask when she realized that Len wasn't going to puke or complain about the taste of the _thing_.

"Its…" He trailed off, munching on the thing for a while more. He did not finish his sentence. He smirked wryly and scooted closer to where Rin was with a predatory look on his face.

"What?" Rin blurted out, intimidated by his action. He looked like he was going to eat her!

She backed into a small corner, and shuddered when he blocked all means of escape from her with his hand firmly planted on the side of her head. He licked his lips as if he had found a truly amazing delicacy to be savored, and Rin felt extremely uncomfortable under his piercing and dominant gaze. She felt like she was going straight to the lion's mouth.

"Why don't _you_ try it? You want to know, don't you?"

Rin's eyes widened. She would never ever touch that horrendous thrash! She thought of pushing him off her, but it came a little too late, for the next moment was the moment when Len had forcibly pushed the spoon towards her lips, and while she had been reluctant to open her lips to taste that horrible thing, Len had gripped her throat with his other hand, and she had no choice but to open her mouth to breathe—that was the time when Len managed to shove the vile monstrosity deep down into her throat.

She coughed as the taste of that thing enveloped her taste buds—it tasted like rotten squirrels and smelled like _fart_. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed the whole thing without chewing, breaking into fits of cough after that.

Once she had allowed herself to cool down, she shot Len a glare that easily rivaled his murderous ones. "What the heck? Len, were you trying to kill me? Seriously?"

"I wouldn't say that." Len rolled his eyes ungentlemanly. "Though… seriously… It tasted… unique, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes. I would say it's unique; why, it was uniquely horrible! And that was why I told you off just now because this stench is making me puke for all—"

"—Whatever. You're just yapping on and on about the same thing." Len shrugged, an uncaring look appearing on his features. "_I_ liked it."

"That's because _you_ made it! Of course you'd say you liked it! Anyone would!"

"Oh, really? Then if you're so sure of yourself, why don't you cook for me, then? You were the one that had vouched to cook for me. I happened to bear first-hand witness," He stated calmly, "but apparently, I'm doing all the cooking while you're sitting there like you're the boss!"

"Fine; what do you want? Stew? Rice? Eggs?_ What_?" Rin grumbled.

"Idiot. How am I supposed to know? _You _decide."

Rin felt like smashing his face with her fists of fury. She walked towards the cabinets and unlocked it, only to find it empty; all the items previously arranged neatly on the racks were gone, leaving nothing at its position. It didn't even need to be said; Rin knew that Len had something to do with this.

"Where are the potatoes? Where are the items? Len, tell me you didn't do anything to them!"

"I fried them along with the apples, onions, garlic, carrots, chestnuts, that twig on the rack, and some… some strange tree root I found in that bottle."

"Oh my goodness! Len," Rin yelled, her headache getting worse, "how the heck are we supposed to _eat_?"

Len shrugged. "You didn't tell me _not_ to touch those things there. This is your problem, not mine."

"What? Hey—_you _were the one who used up all our stuff! You should take responsibility, stupid!"

"Shut up." Len rubbed his temples with a loud groan. "You're annoying and loud-mouthed, you know that? You can go solve this whole thing by yourself right now—I want a nap. Wake me up when you're done."

"The… The hell?" Rin shot a furious glare at Len, and watched as he disregarded her and waltzed to the wooden chair beside the bed, leaning back on it comfortably.

Her murderous glare intensified tenfold at the sight of him lying down there comfortably while she was going to be very much covered in grease and rags.

"LEN! YOU S_U_C_K_!"

* * *

That was how Kagamine Rin ended up directly outside of the cottage, grumbling and complaining to herself as she plucked those golden ripe fruits from the banana trees.

There had been no apples. If Rin had managed to find any, she wouldn't bother picking it up for Len, anyway. He had taken quite a liking to the apples, and she didn't want to give him something that he liked because she did not want to satisfy his wants right now. Instead, Rin went for the bananas, something that Len might not have tried, and something that Len might not like at all.

That was her plan. Rin snickered to herself as she thought of the number of reactions she would get from the stubborn youth. Would he foam at his mouth? Would he start to whine? Would he finally admit that she was far more superior to him in terms of culinary skills?

She had managed to gather a few of those fruits and dumped them in the basket uncaringly. Some of them had been squashed or discolored, but she didn't care; she was not the one who was going to eat all of those things. At the very least, she'd take all the good ones and give Len all the horribly rotten and slimy ones.

Rin was going to make her way back into the cottage, but she managed to hatch a devious plan and decided against it.

She'd make Len regret how he was treating her…

With a manipulative smirk appearing on her face, she led herself to the loose soil near the pathway with the basket in her hands, and threw herself down on the ground, making sure that her butt would hit the ground hard enough for a loud thud sound to resonate in the deserted region. She feigned a look of pain and gasped, and then groaned and whined loud enough to make sure that the blond in the cottage would hear her accurately.

True enough, said blond rushed out of the door in haste. In fact, he had been so fast, Rin hadn't had time to even blink when he burst out of the door and appeared by her side in seconds.

Now, she had not been expecting that. She was thinking he'd be taking his own sweet time. She didn't expect him to be so fast… but why?

He towered over her, his cold eyes looking at her with a look of… concern? No, Rin wasn't sure what his eyes had reflected, but there was something in his eyes that showed her that he had actually_ cared _for her.

"What's wrong?" He said grimly, looking around to check if any of the villagers were the ones responsible for that scream.

"Err," Rin muttered, feeling a bit nervous about lying to him. "I… tripped and twisted my knees."

Now, Rin was starting to feel a little guilty. She had not expected Len to react like this. She thought he would not have cared about her, but he did. He really _did_.

"Really?" He asked, bending over to take a look at her legs. She involuntarily retracted her legs, hoping that the shade provided by the trees would project an illusion of an injury on her skin in Len's mind. "They look fine to me. What did you do now?"

"I said I tripped!" Rin repeated with a coaxing tone, but when Len didn't look the least bit convinced, she added, "I tripped on the vines!"

He regarded her with a scoff. "It doesn't seem so serious. You're exaggerating."

"No! It hurts! I can't move!" Rin whined, making sure to demonstrate and prove what she had said by feigning a look of hurt when she moved her limbs a little. She pretended to get up a little and fall back down again, keeping that look on her face at all times. "See?"

Len didn't answer her. He didn't look convinced at all.

She pouted like a five-year old kid, turning away from the taller guy above her. She was expecting him to heal her or something, and then she'd pretend to scratch him with her long nails with the excuse of the intolerable excruciating pain to torture him a little, but it seemed like that was going to take a million years for it to happen.

She was going to get up, but then Len had picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder before bending down to pick up the basket on the ground.

She gasped in shock as he carried her and started moving back to the cottage. Her face turned crimson immediately, and she desperately pounded at his back, pleading for him to release her, but apparently, her tone wasn't all that convincing because it sounded more like she _wanted_ to be carried.

"Put me down!" She cried, punching at Len's shoulder blades.

"No. Didn't you just say you were injured?"

"I—uhh, I did, but I don't want you to carry me!"

"Too late. I've gone and done it. Just stay still."

"N-no! Len, if you don't put me down right now, I'm going to ignore you for the rest of the week and leave you with nothing edible so that you'll starve to death and then you'll come to me begging for food—"

"—Shut up. Seriously. You're incredibly noisy and distracting. I don't care what you say; just shut the hell up."

"Len! Put me down _now_!"

He stiffened and growled, mumbling something under his breath that Rin didn't manage to catch. She continued to claw at his shoulder blades, wriggling her limbs all around him to annoy the crap out of him and all the while chanting for him to release her from his grasp.

Her deliberate actions managed to annoy Len, but it did not get her off him.

"Damn it, girl…" He growled threateningly, stomping inside the cottage. "Couldn't you just shut up for five minutes?"

"Put me down and maybe I'll do that! You pervert—eek!"

Rin shrieked when her face came into contact with the bed. Len had slammed Rin—almost painfully—onto the bed as if his actions were just as deliberate, and stood there, observing her with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"What was _that_ for!"

"You said to put you down."

"You didn't have to do it like that! Ouch, it hurts! Len! You—"

"—Wasn't that what you _wanted_?"

"What?"

"You were pretending to be hurt because you wanted me to carry you. It was obvious."

"The… The heck?"

"You'd think I didn't know? I could tell. Your acting was horrendous and your facial expression told me everything."

"Excuse me—"

"—Tsk, did I hit the correct nerve?"

"Oh my goodness! Shut up! Shut up! Len! Keep quiet! I'm _thinking_—"

"—Thinking of how true my words are, hmm?"

"LEN!"

Rin raised her fists threateningly and grabbed a piece of the ripe fruit from the basket in his hands, and threw it at him with a glare.

"YOU REALLY S_U_C_K_!"

* * *

Sakine Meiko couldn't believe what had just transpired right in front of her very eyes. Rin had been burnt. Rin had been burnt _in front of her_. Rin had been burnt in front of her and she had admitted to killing someone. Rin had admitted to someone and she was burnt in front of her very eyes and she could _not_ even do anything to stop them.

She could not believe it.

What had Rin been thinking? She knew that Rin was a hardheaded, stubborn little girl, but she couldn't even bear to hurt an ant, much less kill a human. There had to be something going on. There had to be something going on that she did not know about, and Rin hadn't even bothered to tell her about it.

Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? Why hadn't she suspected her when she had begun to behave a little too oddly for her liking? There was something going on. It was obvious. Yet, it took Sakine Meiko this long to figure out something as simple as that.

She slumped down the wall of the confined room, and gritted her teeth, willing herself to stay strong. Rin had stayed strong for her. She would do so, too.

The door to the room opened and light seeped through the darkness of the room. Several footsteps echoed through the room, and Meiko turned to look at the approaching figures; they were that stupid exorcist, Megurine and a few villagers who had been stationed outside of the house to prevent her from escaping.

Instinctively, the brunette stood up and rushed towards the authoritative woman. Before any of them had a chance to react, Meiko had already grabbed the collar of her shirt, her chocolate-brown eyes glaring intently at her calm features. She was not going to give them any chance to attack her.

"What did you do to Rin?" Meiko demanded, her lips curled into a venomous snarl.

That woman did not reply her. She stared at her as if she had done _nothing _wrong—that fucking smug look was on her face and she looked absolutely indifferent to the situation—and this ignited Meiko's incontrollable temper.

"Fuck you!" Meiko spat with extreme hostility, raising her fists. "I am asking you a question and you'd best answer me right _now_—"

"—She got away," Megurine simply said.

Meiko's eyes widened in unexpected shock and she stopped, leaving her fists in the air. "W… what?"

"I said she got away. She didn't die. We didn't burn her. Are you happy now, _Sakine Meiko_?" She spat her name with disgust.

"Don't you dare, for a _fucking_ second, even think of seeking forgiveness from _me_," Meiko snarled, "because I'm not going to forgive you even if she got away. I'm not going to forgive you for what you and your men has done to her, and don't you think that I would do so if you come up with that lame shit of an excuse—"

"—We won't be needing your forgiveness." Megurine gritted her teeth, her eyes shining from whence she stood. Meiko's hold on her collar tightened, but she did not even try to break free from her grasp. "We will _not_ forgive a murderer who has taken the lives of many of our precious villagers. There is a limit to forgiveness, and Kagamine Rin has exceeded that limit. We will not hesitate to_ kill _her on sight."

Meiko's eyes reduced to slits. She felt her rage gush through her veins, and she was suddenly very motivated to kill this woman here so as to silence her for eternity. "Don't you fucking dare… don't you _fucking _dare try!"

"_Try_?" Megurine whispered chillingly, her bangs concealing her expression from being seen. "No. We're not going to try—you're wrong, Sakine. We _know_ we are going to do that..."

The brunette's heart fluttered with fear at what her next sentence was going to be.

"… She _is_ going to die."

That was it.

Meiko went mad with rage. Something within her snapped, and she aimed her fist at her face, lowering it quickly before Megurine could have a chance to respond. She was, however, a little too late; hands tugged her violently backwards and slammed her towards the wall behind her before she could actually manage a hit. She winced in pain, feeling her backbone crack when she hit the wall with such force.

Gakupo sneered at her. "Watch yourself. You'd better behave, if you know what's best for you. You could be counted as her accomplice."

Meiko managed a wry grin despite the pain inflicted on her body. "I don't care."

"We don't care if _you_ care." Megurine's cold and mocking eyes watched her carefully. "What we care is if you care for Rin. Let me ask you a question, Sakine Meiko, and it would do well for you to answer it honestly or you will regret it for the rest of your life—do you want Rin to _live_?"

"You _bitch_," The brunette cussed, "you just said you were going to kill her, and now you're asking if _I_ want her to _live_? How hypocritical… but then again, I wasn't expecting any less from _you_."

"I don't care what _you _think, Sakine. I've already made that point clear. I know you want her to live… she's quite like your daughter after all, isn't it? Now, the next question I would like to ask is if you would be willing to strike a deal with us?"

"Bullshit. As if I'll strike a deal with _any_ of you!"

"Are you sure?" Megurine frowned. "Don't be too quick to reject, Sakine. As I have said, this is a matter of life and death. If you act too quickly on your impulses, you would regret it in the future. Trust me."

"No. I don't trust you. I wouldn't trust someone with the likes of—"

"—If you agree to lend us a helping hand, we'll let Rin go free."

Meiko blinked in confusion. She could not believe what she had just heard. Was this really Megurine Luka? "_What_?"

"There is something else... something else that we have to check and confirm. It is just a theory constructed by Gakupo here, but this theory is starting to make more sense... especially when she'd escaped just now. If this 'theory' is indeed true," Megurine explained, "... then Rin is free of all charges. She will be free. We will not hunt her down anymore."

"Are you actually _serious_? What kind of a theory is _that_?"

"I am very much serious, Sakine. In fact, I believe that this theory that Gakupo has came up with is the true cause behind everything that has happened here. On the contrary, if you choose not to help us, you are very much putting Rin in _real_ danger."

"Danger? What danger? What are you babbling about?"

Megurine pursed her lips, refusing to divulge anymore information. "It is exactly as I have said. Now, will you help us, or will you choose to watch as Rin is exposed to all sorts of dangers?"

The brunette could only watch as her body reacted on her own—she immediately nodded without a thought, not knowing what she had just unknowingly agreed to.

There was only one thing on her mind.

To save Rin.

She would not bother about anything else.

* * *

Len could suddenly feel a burning sensation in his head. It wasn't everyday that he would feel like _this_; something ominous was going to happen, and he knew it. He had senses far more superior than a human's, and his senses and predictions were always accurate most of the time.

Strange images flashed through his head, and he widened his eyes. There was one with Rin in it, on her knees, but he didn't know what she was doing, and there was another one with _him_ and her voice. He was… no, he couldn't actually believe what he was seeing…

"Len?" Rin addressed, but Len was too preoccupied with his thoughts. He couldn't hear her. All he could hear were the strange voices in his head.

They were getting louder. Louder. Thump. Knock. Cry. Scream. Shout. Punch. Everything. He could hear them all, but they were all jumbled up. Rin was in there. Rin was _there_ with him.

"Len? Is there something wrong with you...? Why are you—_Len_!"

Rin's desperate cries managed to shake him out of his stupor, and he turned to shoot her a death glare for interrupting him from his 'vision'.

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me. You were spacing out for the first time in your life!"

"I wasn't." Len stabbed the pancakes topped with slices of bananas on the plate, and devoured them greedily. It tasted _good_—he hadn't expected it to taste this well. Of course, he was not going to admit that to her.

"Would you at least chew before you swallow? Seriously."

Within a few seconds after Rin had made that request, Len had already emptied his plate, not even leaving behind any bits and pieces of the fluffy pancakes and bananas. The plate was as good as new. It was a rather large serving for a human, but Len was _not_ a human and therefore the serving was not large enough for him. In other words, he was still hungry.

He eyed Rin's plate with a look that almost seemed as if he was sulking.

Rin seemed to have taken notice of that, and covered her plate hastily with her hands. She had just started to take a few bites of the pancake, and heck, she wasn't going to give the rest up for him. She deserved a good meal.

He leaned across the table and pushed the plate away from her, gripping her arm and pulling her towards him. She felt herself tugged forward and made no move to resist, but she was disturbed by the fact that Len was gazing at her with a heated look. He trailed her cheekbones and jaws with his finger, and it almost seemed as if he wanted to… he wanted to…

Rin squeezed her eyes shut.

She could feel his breath trickling against her skin, lighting up something deep within her. She didn't know what to feel at this moment; he was going to do it like the last time. He was going to do it again… H-he was going to do it—

"—You've gained weight. You shouldn't eat so much, girl."

Rin snapped her eyes open and threw the banana out of the window.

* * *

Kagamine Rin smiled to herself. It felt good to be living like this. It felt extremely good; she liked it.

She didn't think that she would actually start to enjoy a life like this. She thought that she would actually come to dislike Len because of his stupid attitude, but it did not turn out that way. It turned out better than she had expected. Len wasn't as bad as he seemed to be.

A certain brunette came into her mind. She was reminded of how Meiko was dragged away so brutally, and how _she_ had been screaming for _her_ when she had been all tied up...

If only _she_ was here... then it'd truly be perfect.

She frowned. Right now, she was not going to think about anything from that incident. She knew that Megurine Luka and her companions would come and find her sooner or later, but before that, she wasn't going to think about it. She was going to enjoy her life while it lasted. It was the only thing that she approved of doing right now.

"… wasted. You could have just given it to me, couldn't you, hmm?"

Rin blinked. Len was talking to her. No, Len had been talking to her. She hadn't been listening, and he was looking at her as if he expected to hear some answers from her. He must have asked her a question.

To prevent herself from being put to shame, she faked a response, giggling nervously. "… Oh."

Len rolled his eyes. "You weren't even listening, were you?"

"… No. I guess not; sorry."

Rin didn't have time to react and dodge in time when a banana came flying towards her face.

* * *

Hatsune Miku paced up and down her room with a worried expression. She had heard about all of the events concerning Rin, and she wasn't too happy about it. She wouldn't think that Rin would be elated to be in such a horrifying situation either.

She couldn't just leave Rin there.

She had heard all about it—how Rin had escaped, how she had been called a _demoness_—and she could not believe that the villagers would have the audacity to turn against their own kind. How _could_ they? Were they always this inhumane to have done something like this?

It enraged Miku.

She wasn't going to let it slide.

Miku packed her belongings, and tossed the last shirt she had left on the table into the luggage on the bed.

She was going to find Rin.

She was going to _help_ her.

* * *

(to be continued)**  
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**Author's note: **Hmm. It hasn't exactly been a month. I thought I'd upload this chapter because uhh, I have two days to write and publish this thing. Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the reviewers who had reviewed this fic from start till end. Thanks guys, I couldn't have survived without your support. I'll name you guys out, one by one, in the next chapter I guess. Heh heh.

Teaser time. (I feel bad for leaving teasers. Well, they tease.)

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* * *

"They're going to... they're going to _execute_ Meiko? They're going to harm somebody who has completely no knowledge of the things _I_ have done? Are they insane? Are they... _what_ are they doing?"

* * *

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R e v i e w ?


	18. Fleeting decisions

**Author's note: **Again... This is a super late update. I'm back from my semi-hiatus (well, not exactly back per se... I'll try my best to publish a few chapters or two) and this time, I'm back with another long chapter! Yuppie! So, you see... The reception for the previous chapter was... how should I put it, hmm... horribly AWESOME!

Haha. I really enjoy writing for people who likes reading my stuff, even though it's hard to kind of... carry on... writing with passion. Oh well, I do try, I assure you. :B

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**Disclaimer**: Not mine.

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* * *

**The Red Spade**

**Act 18 – Fleeting decisions**

* * *

There were times when Len had felt that the humans were a little overboard with their decisions… and sometimes the brutality of their minds had even managed to, in all honesty, shock him in ways that he'd never thought he'd feel. However, none of them were comparable to what he was feeling right now as he stared—no, _glared_—at the piece of article spread neatly in all its glory on the surface of the table. Its edges were a little torn and tattered and the familiar image of that brunette he'd seen beside Rin had already been doodled on, and it wasn't as clear as he'd thought it'd be… but he'd still recognize that face anywhere.

Sakine Meiko. He recalled her name. It was ages ago (well, not really, but he'd like to think that) when he'd saw her, and even though the image on that article had blurred considerably, and she looked a little shaggier, with prominent eye bags and chapped lips, he could still recognize her from the back of his mind. He wasn't that forgetful.

That wasn't the only thing that fueled his anger. On the article itself were a few words highlighted in bold, glaring red, and it was the context of the article that multiplied his fury tenfold.

_Sakine Meiko._

_Accomplice of Kagamine Rin._

_She will be executed in public._

Len was not a dumb fool who'd play with his enemies' tactics. He knew better than to do that. As such, he knew that _they_ were trying to lure Rin out, and Rin, being a foolish, kindhearted mortal as she were, would definitely rush to the brunette's rescue in a blink of the eye should she somehow manage to find ways to get hold of this piece of new-found news.

_That _would be bad.

That would be _very_ bad.

The first thing that came upon his mind when he came across this malevolent little article was to annihilate it and to rid of its existence immediately. Of course, that would be a good solution, but this poster was pasted _everywhere_, including the walls of the village and on products that villagers would usually buy. It was obviously a despicable ploy to lure that little girl out of its shell—it was so blatant and if he were Rin, he'd certainly not fall for it because he would not give a damn about the welfare of that brunette.

That was right. Call him brutal if you must, but he had no attachments to humans. He despised them.

Well_… most _of them.

He couldn't destroy it. He could just destroy the one he had, but he couldn't destroy _all_ of them. It was no good.

She'd still have a chance to see that stupid piece of junk everywhere she went. There was still a chance of that occurring, even if it was minimal.

"Len?" He cursed to himself as he heard the familiar blonde behind him approach him slowly from behind. "Len, what are you doing?"

Now, she _couldn't_ see this. Not now. Not ever. He wasn't going to let her see it.

He contemplated burning that piece of junk up with flames, but he doubted it would work… it would most likely arouse her suspicions even more and she'd be inclined to probe and bombard him with several annoying questions that he'd have no answers to.

Instead, Len resorted to the simplest method he could think of—he grabbed the poster and promptly wriggled it inside his pocket after folding it messily.

"Len!" She called behind him, this time a little agitatedly, "do you not hear me, or are you, like, doing something else intentionally to keep—"

"—I'm hearing you just fine." He whipped around to face her with a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes. "Do I have to keep replying you every five seconds? Damn it, girl, I'm not a cuckoo!"

"I never said _I_ wanted _you _to reply me every five seconds! Geez, Len, can't you be nice to me for once?" Rin chided gently, folding her arms nonchalantly. "What's with that sarcastic tone, anyway? You sound like you're PMS-ing for no reason at all!"

"Like you're one to talk." Len shook his head in a disapproving manner. "And what the heck is a PMS? Don't compare me with stupid objects!"

"It's not an object, _genius_. In case you don't know, it's a word used to describe girls that are, well—" Rin stopped abruptly, considering if she should just end the conversation there and then. Len wouldn't probably get it even if she had explained everything to him, anyway. He was not a girl. And since he wasn't a girl… if he found out what it had meant, that it'd be the end of Rin, wouldn't it?

Len stared at her expectantly, waiting for answer with a demanding look on his face, but the answer never came. She was hesitating, he could tell. And the hesitation only meant that what she was trying to say was something that was going to have an impact on _him_, or she wouldn't have cared at all.

"What? _What_ are you trying to say, exactly?" He asked forcibly, "stop beating about the bush and shoot it into my face _now_."

"Well…" She trailed off with a rather passive look on her face. "I don't feel like explaining anything to you right now, so that concludes this whole topic. End of sentence."

"So now you're backing off and hanging me in mid-air just like _that_ night. What an _annoying_ human."

Rin immediately flushed red with the mention of the memories from that night. She didn't want to think about them anymore, but Len had just caused a certain little scene to pop out in her mind.

"Len! B-be nice to m-me!" She shuddered, trying to control her tone and to keep her tone steady.

"I'm very nice to _everyone_." Len forced those words out of his mouth as though he were spitting venom out of his lips. "You just don't know how _nice_ I am to _you_."

"O-okay fine! Whatever, Len, you win. As usual." Rin folded her arms and tapped her feet on the floor with an impatient look. He stared at her, knowing what to expect from her with that look on her face—she seemed to have managed to find out that he was keeping something from her. And that look was demanding for him to spill the beans.

"I _always_ win, girl. You know it… there's no way you could actually be on par with me."

"Funny. I've always thought that you were the one who'd keep harping on it… I never exactly, for once, thought I'd be on par with _you_."

"And I never said you were." Len snorted. "Facts are facts, Rin. Think about it—you've tried multiple times to outshine me, to beat me in things that you think you'd be better… but really, how many times have you managed to _succeed_?"

"I—" Rin started, opening her mouth and then promptly shutting it when she found nothing to retort. "Len, you _still_ suck."

"And that's what _she_ says, when she finds herself surrounded by the painful truth… it hurts, doesn't it?"

"Stop changing the topic." Rin flipped her bangs out of her view. "What are you hiding, exactly?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Len growled, "who or what on earth gave you that ridiculous idea? You have to go ahead and think that I'm always the bad guy, keeping things from you, don't you?"

"That's only because you _are_ keeping things from me." Rin wriggled her brows. "Don't try to deny it, Len—I saw you stuffing something hastily inside your pocket. If it's something important, you'd better let me know."

"It's not the least bit important, and it sure as hell doesn't concern you. There's no reason why I should let you know, little girl."

"Well, that's what you think, but there are tons of reasons that I could think of for you to let me know, and one of them is because you're a horrendous, unpredictable big bully who enjoys going around torturing somebody by the name of 'Kagamine Rin'. There, you have it." Rin grinned victoriously. "Happy?"

"Very." Len rolled his eyes. He was trying very hard not to let anger control his actions. "You can continue to dream and think of what I've been hiding from you then, Rin, because at the end of the day, you'll be _thanking_ me for what I've done."

Rin never understood what he meant by that sentence.

* * *

"You guys had better not hurt her," the brunette spat menacingly, sitting on the edge of a wooden bed in the dark confines of the room. She eyed the movements of the occupants of the room warily, taking note of each and every step they took. The damned androgynous exorcist made his way in front of her and grinned, his eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

He looked outright gay in that stupid pathetic outfit under the darkness.

She was not sure of how trustworthy they were. She could trust them, but that didn't mean that she _would_ trust them, because no matter how much she'd try to deny it, the possibility of them going back on their words was still there.

"Would you relax?" Megurine spoke softly, her voice flat and monotonous. "I already said this once, and I'm not going to repeat it again—we will not hurt her if she doesn't cause us any trouble or put up a strong resistance."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean? You mean she's not allowed to defend herself?" Meiko shook her head. "I don't trust any of you."

"You don't have to trust us. You just have to work _with_ us." Gakupo's grin widened. It was strongly reminiscent of the Cheshire cat. "I want to catch that demon and once I catch it, I'll let her go. We were never intending to capture her from the start—all of this was a plan to lure that demon out because I was never certain if it really existed."

She stared at him in awe. This entire thing was planned right from the start—she should have known… but she didn't.

"So you were planning to use Rin as bait to lure it out?" She hissed, "and to lure it out, you guys were actually planning to _burn_ her into a crisp?"

"In a way, yes. That's the crude way to put it." The exorcist tightened his hold on his beloved precious blade. "But to put it nicely, we weren't exactly planning to burn her, per se. I could sense the demon in that hut when I first stepped foot in this village… and the first thing I thought was to exorcise it, but I wasn't sure if it existed… and in order to do it, I had to gather its weaknesses and also to lure it out of its hiding... I needed to be sure that it was a demon that I could be capable of exorcising, not some vicious, malevolent spirit that I can't handle. I wouldn't want to end up dead."

He paused. "So, after a negotiation with Miss Megurine, I decided to _use_ Rin to test if the demon had indeed grew an attachment for her. And voila," he snapped his fingers coolly, "it has been proven true. Now I know that the demon is well within my limits and I _can_ exorcise it, given my skills and experience."

Meiko gritted her teeth and huffed.

"You are going to use Rin to weaken the demon." It was no question. It was an accusation.

"Correct." Gakupo frowned. He watched the brunette's expression closely, and when he did not get a response from her, he assumed that she wanted him to continue with his explanation, and hence he did so.

"It makes me guilty to be harboring such despicable thoughts, but Miss Megurine and I will not risk the villagers' lives."

"You think Rin is a puppet to be used as and when you like?" Meiko snapped, "you think you can _dump_ her and throw her life away as if she were just a piece of _crap_?"

"I told you, Meiko—"

"—You're incredibly sick. And you still _dare_ say you're actually guilty about it."

"I said I wasn't planning to burn her. I was confident that it would all work out… the demon would_ save_ her. She wouldn't die. That wasn't part of our plan."

"You and Luka have been babbling about how a demon has been behind these deeds. All these scenarios would _only_ be made possible with the existence of the demon." Meiko took a deep breath, calming herself down. "All this while, you guys have been so obsessed with catching a stupid demon… Do you guys even have any evidence to prove that the demon exists?"

Gakupo shot her an icy look. "What?"

"What if it doesn't exist?" Meiko asked, bile bubbling up her throat. "What then?"

This time, Megurine was the one replying the brunette.

"I _know_ it exists." Luka crossed her legs and propped her chin with the palm of her hand. "That's it—you shall ask no more, and we will not bother to entertain you or the rest of your queries any further. Consider this the end of our conversation, Sakine Meiko; we haven't got all day to play with you and your little tricks."

Said brunette clicked her tongue and clenched her fists. "Cowards."

"Let's see if you'll still be calling us that later, Meiko. You _will _know how right we are… and you _will _side with us to get rid of the demon for Rin's benefit."

* * *

This was annoying _and_ retarded. Rin couldn't believe what she was doing right now; it made her seem like a helpless little moron pleading for something that could never actually happen.

Well, you see, Len had refused to tell her anything about something—whatever he was hiding—and it irked Rin. There was definitely something like he was hiding, and judging from his reaction just now, it only managed to convince Rin that he had definitely something up his sleeves… and he wasn't planning on sharing it with her no matter what the costs may be.

This was irritating. Rin didn't like people to keep things from her. She wanted to know—she_ had_ to know. She was curious.

"Tell me," Rin pleaded, sitting on the edge of the bed like an idiot. "Please, please, please, please, _please_—"

"Tell _what_?" Len retorted sharply, "I already said I have nothing to tell you! Are you _deaf_?"

"You are keeping something from me! I know it because my Rin senses are tingling," She grumbled softly, trying her utmost to manage a convincing tone. "Tell me, or you shall die from my never-ending ramblings—"

"Curiosity killed the cat," Len mumbled, whipping around to glare daggers at the offending female. She had been at it since she had seen him just now, and wherever he went, she'd follow behind with a crazed look, chanting the same words over and over again like a retarded fan girl going googoogaga at stuff. "Now _you_ shut up if _you_ don't want to die."

"Curiosity killed the cat… but I'm _not_ a cat. I'm human," she declared the obvious proudly, "now tell me, what is it that you have been miserably trying to keep from me? Tell me and I'll get it off your chest right now—"

"—If you don't want to die, then shut up," Len threatened, growling ferociously. He had been in a good mood just now, but the nonstop babbling of this girl here had officially ruined it. "I do a lot of _bad _things to people when I'm in a horrible mood, and believe me, you wouldn't want to be one of my victims…"

"Like what? Like _this_?" Said girl pounced off the bed and landed on the floor with a solid thud, doing a mock imitation of a lion eating its prey in a fashionable manner. After she'd finished, she started laughing loudly, amused by her own little actions… but Len was in no way amused by her attempts to annoy the crap out of him, because firstly, he was already greatly annoyed by her, and secondly, he wasn't going to entertain her any longer.

As such, he just stared at her while she continued to laugh all by herself… and Rin, finally managing to realize that it wasn't in the least bit funny at all, stopped and stared back with a sheepish smile.

"Uhh… Oops?" She managed to say, "I though it was rather funny, and whatnot… don't you think so too?"

Len just stared at her. She had a feeling that he was going to _kill_ her with that murderous aura surrounding him sooner or later.

As such, she did the wisest thing she could do at the moment—she shut her lips… but before she was going to do that, she believed that an apology was in order; she didn't want to incur his wrath since he was rather sour right now.

"Alright, alright!" She clasped her hands together and bowed swiftly. "Sorry."

"That's better." Len said, approaching her with a solemn look. He raised his arms, and for a moment there, Rin almost thought that he was going to _hit_ her… but he didn't.

He patted her head softly as if she were some sort of doll.

"Good girl."

Rin found herself to be completely speechless after that—she didn't want to shut up and stay still, but that simple little sentence had rendered her completely speechless.

* * *

She couldn't find her.

It was like a game of cat and mouse; Hatsune Miku knew that she _had _to find Rin—there were too many unanswered questions that she needed to ask, and she just had to see for herself if Rin was all fine and well. Of course, there were rumors pertaining to her escapade, but rumors were made up and most likely false, so she couldn't bring herself to believe in them, much as she liked to.

She had to locate Rin. It was either now or never—but where?

Where on earth _could_ she be? This village was small. There was no way she'd be far in a single day… she couldn't have gotten away far.

She had to be somewhere close, somewhere nearby.

Miku had been walking for a few hours now, and her legs had begun to feel a little sore from all the endless walking. She had been searching high and low for the missing blonde, but to no avail. She couldn't think straight… she had been searching in the wrong places all this while, but there was nowhere else… nowhere else that Rin could have ran off to—

—There was one. There was one place that Rin could have gone to without being caught. She remembered.

The woods.

She took off in the opposite direction, breezing past the tainted and vandalized walls of the alleyway she was in. The floor was filled with litters and useless stuff like broken bottles, and the smell of alcohol occupied the humid air… and that would mean that a few drunkards were probably high on the booze again. She had to be careful; who knew what those men would try to do with her.

Something plastered on the wall stopped her on her tracks, though, and in a minute, she found herself to be staring at a fresh poster of a portrait of a familiar brunette.

Wispy dark hair, well-defined features, slightly flushed cheeks, and harsh irises… those were the exact features of Sakine Meiko, Rin's adoptive 'mother'. She could recognize her… but Meiko had slimmed down, and she didn't look as menacing and as strong as she used to be. Only a short time span had passed, and she had already changed… Miku couldn't imagine what would become of her if she had remained for weeks.

But that wasn't the main point.

She could see them. She could see those emboldened words imprinted on the bottom of the page, as if it had been done on purpose to attract attention… and she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

_Meiko? Beheaded? _That was just blasphemy. That was… that was ridiculous.

Who the heck gave _them_ the authority to do that? They didn't know the truth. They had no rights to do something as ridiculous as this. They were just outsiders.

Spurred on by what she had just seen, Miku hurried to the woods, silently praying for Rin to be there.

* * *

He was breathing… he was breathing slowly. His eyes were shut tightly and his facial expression was scrunched up in an annoyed manner. Even in his sleep, he was still just as annoyed… but he didn't twitch. He hadn't reacted or moved an inch even when she had came closer to him. He hadn't stopped her when she had rose her fingers to trickle the side of his cheeks.

Kagamine Rin knew that it was a big risk for her to do something as daring as this, but she still wanted to try. He was sleeping like a log right now… surely he wouldn't notice if she had snatched that suspicious thing he had stuffed in his pocket. That was right—he wouldn't know a damn thing, and she would quickly put in back in its place afterwards… and he still wouldn't know a damn thing.

That is, however, provided if he doesn't wake up.

It was a tricky little thing, really. She was afraid, she'd admit… and with such risks and consequences, who wouldn't be afraid?

"Len?" She whispered hoarsely, finding it ironic to be wishing for said man _not_ to respond instead. To affirm that he was indeed asleep, it would be better for her to be safe than sorry. "Len?"

When she got no response from the sleeping man, she decided that he was indeed very, very tired, and hence she decided to make the best of the situation. With gentle, flowy steps like a lily's, she made her way to the edge of the bed where said blond was lying on, and crept slowly near his still figure. Under the both of their weights, she was absolutely terrified to hear the bed creak, but it did not creak… she heaved a sigh of relief when she managed to snake her way up to the blond's midriff.

Now, this was the hard part. She had to remove _that _thing—whatever it was—from his pockets without waking him up.

She hesitated. There was still a chance for her to back off and pretend that nothing happened. Life could still go on… but life wasn't that normal anymore… especially not after a whole bunch of maniacs wanted to locate and chase her down till the very ends of the earth.

With shaky fingers and a gulp, she willed herself to squeeze her hand inside the blond's pocket, and she fished around for the item that he had been desperately trying to hide, but the pocket was empty; there was nothing to be found.

She grew desperate. Where had it gone?

Rin pushed her hand deeper into the pocket, convinced that there _was_ something there… but nothing was there. _How_? That was impossible; she had seen him put that thing in there—

—unless she had been looking in the _wrong_ pocket.

She pulled her hand out of the pocket with a low grumble, and proceeded to shift so that she could reach into the other pocket… but that stupid blond was sleeping on his side, which meant that the other pocket was facing away from her… away from her reach.

"I should just push him off the bed!" She whined, frustrated with her failed attempts.

She sat there, thinking of what to do with the blond. She had to find out what was in that pocket and now was the perfect chance for her to do so… she couldn't possibly just let it slip by so quickly! Maybe she should wait—yes. He would be tired of that position and he would eventually shift and turn around to _face_ her.

Yes. That sounded delightful…

As soon as she had that thought in her mind, though, it became a reality—Len really turned around with his back on the surface of the bed! She squealed excitedly, proud that the goddesses were on _her_ side, and crept on all fours to the opposite side of the bed.

Unfortunately, her attempts to do so failed miserably as a hand immediately whipped out and grabbed her wrists, pulling her towards the sleeping blond.

She let out a startled cry as she was plunged forward and sent facedown on something warm and soft. The creep had dragged her near him—no, on _top_ of him—and she tried miserably to slow down her heart rate and to conceal that reddening blush on her cheeks, but that failed horribly, too.

She had landed on his chest. Damn. She had to get up; she had to get off him—

She pushed herself up with her other free hand, and groaned exaggeratedly.

"What's wrong with him? Does he do that to everyone in his sleep—" She uttered, but stopped when she realized that his eyes were wide open, and a pair of scarlet eyes were gazing at her rather harshly.

"Yes?" Len asked, seemingly amused, "what's wrong with _me_?"

_Crap. He's awake. _She thought silently.

She managed to laugh the question off nervously. "You're… you're awake?"

"I have _always _been awake." His voice sent low vibrations throughout her body, and she shivered at how close they actually were. "You just don't know it… really, I already told you to keep quiet… why won't you listen to me?"

"I've listened to you! I did listen to you, but did you listen to me? I want answers, and I want them _now_!"

"Don't demand something from me, girl." The inhumane blond yawned. "I'll give you answers when I feel like it… now shut up and let me sleep—I really can't sleep with all the ruckus you're creating."

"Then don't sleep. Nobody asked you to sleep," Rin blabbered like there was no tomorrow. She didn't care if he was grumpy or grouchy right now. That wasn't her main concern right now; she had more things to worry about. "Now get off me and leave me alone!"

"What?" He snapped sharply, "you're the one _on_ me. How am I supposed to get _off _of you? Should you get off of me instead?"

A malicious grin made its way up to Len's face. "Unless… you _don't_ want to."

"W-what? I c-can't even move!" Rin wailed, squirming her way out of his grasp, but his grip on her wrist only became firmer. It had started to hurt—Len was strong, but sometimes, he really didn't know how strong he could be when he exerted his strength full-force on somebody weaker than him.

"Let me go!" Rin winced, but found herself being tugged forward. In a swift moment, she had collapsed on top of said man again, with her cheeks getting hotter and redder with each second. She had hoped that he hadn't noticed, but… but it was almost impossible. It had to be so damn obvious right now, with the heat radiating out of her body and whatnot.

"Consider this to be a punishment for what you have tried to do while I was asleep, girl," He whispered huskily and suggestively into her ears… and Rin almost fainted. She couldn't stand it anymore; the heat was becoming unbearable and she was caught up in such an awkward position… what would the others think of her?

"Let go off me right now," she continued to scream, shooting her legs in all sorts of possible directions. She thrashed wildly about, and squirmed like a newborn child until the blond caved in and decided to let her go, apparently fed up and annoyed with her destructive acts.

"Damn it, woman," he groaned, slapping his forehead with an impatient look. "What's your problem? You can't remain still, you can't shut the hell up, you can't walk, you can't cook and now you can't bloody stop behaving like a five year old kid?"

Rin jumped off the bed and pointed at him. "I can't cook? Excuse me? Who's the one who can't do the cooking?"

"_You_." Len sat up, rubbing his temples in a circular motion. "Alright, the noise is really killing me… really, woman. Just keep quiet for once… I swear, I'll be thankful to the gods and goddesses in the heavens."

"Tell me," She repeated the question that she had wanted to ask, "what is so important that you had to hide it as soon as I came. You _have_ to let me know."

"I don't have anything to hide… how many times do I have to answer you?"

"I _need_ to know, Len! Please—you're keeping something from me and I need to know!"

"Keep telling yourself that, and shut up with all the stupid questions," He growled, "I'm seriously getting _annoyed _with all your pointless babbling—can't you see for yourself that it is getting you _nowhere_? Really, you wouldn't want to test my patience—I _don't _have any—and I don't know what I'll do if I run out of them. I could _kill _you, and it would be such a waste to kill you… but I will not hesitate to kill you if you keep up with all these stupid whining."

"But Len—"

"—No buts. Now, shut up or else you will suffer the consequences of not listening to _me_… and believe me, it wouldn't be entirely pleasant," Len hissed, his eyes reducing to slits, "I believe you know what I am fully capable of… just because I'm nice to you, doesn't mean that I can be nice to you all the time, woman. You'd better wise up for your own good, if you don't want to be hurt."

"Len… That's—"

"—I'm going out for a walk." Len stood up and buttoned his coat. "You'd better stay here, and stay still—I'll be back in a short while."

She stared at the floor. She could remember their first encounter… it was horrible. Len was so… so different right now. He had changed. She could tell, and she knew that he could tell, too… but had he _really_ changed?

Or was he just pretending all the time?

She remained silent for the rest of the day, silently contemplating on what he had said.

* * *

"M… M-Miku?"

Kagamine Rin gaped at her childhood friend from whence she stood with a shocked look across her features. Hatsune Miku was standing at the entrance of the cottage with her head cocked to one side curiously. She was drumming her polished nails against the back of the wooden door with a slightly lost look.

She couldn't believe her eyes. The hell? How did Miku manage to come all the way here… and how did she manage to find out where she was hiding?

"R-Rin?" Miku stammered, her eyes narrowing at her voice. She approached Rin swiftly, and then proceeded to wrap her arms firmly around her neck. "Is… Is that really you? Gosh, p-please don't tell me I'm hallucinating or something."

"You're not, you're really not." As if to demonstrate this fact, Rin pressed Miku's hands against her cheeks. When said girl didn't look as convinced as she thought she'd look, Rin decided to give said girl a little squeeze on her right shoulder, and watched as Miku's face slowly converted to one of excitement.

"It's me—Rin. I'm real, Miku, I'm real!"

"… Are you r-really…?"

"Yes!" Rin trembled from the touch. "I'm alive—see?"

"Oh, _Rin_!" Miku exclaimed, tearing up. "Rin… I've been looking all over for you and… and I'm glad I found you here!"

"You were looking for me? What for?"

"Long story, Rin. Before I go ahead and talk about it… Could you tell me what happened to you back there at the village?" Miku led Rin to the bed, and motioned for her to sit down. She complied. "I heard all sorts of stuff, but… but how did you managed to escape? Why _didn't_ you tell them the truth, Rin?"

"I did, I did!" Rin gritted her teeth grudgingly. She didn't want to recall those memories that had caused her so much pain… it had hurt, and it had hurt _a lot_. "But nobody believed me. They all thought I was some sort of a demon… as for the escape, well… I have my own ways."

She shivered at the thought of Miku finding out about Len. How would she react? She couldn't let her know about him. It was too risky and dangerous… she didn't know what Len would do to her if he knew, and she wouldn't know what Miku would do to Len since she was the type of girl who tended to be a little overprotective and defensive of her friends.

Not even when he seemed to have changed. She just wasn't sure about him… yet.

"Oh… I see." Miku gulped nervously. "So I was right after all… you did come all the way here to hide. What are your plans right now?"

"Plans?" The word rolled off her tongue like it was a sinful and forbidden word not to be uttered. "I… _don't_ have any."

"What? Rin… are you kidding me? You've no plans? But I thought—"

"—I guess the only thing I'll do right now is to wait." She toyed with the hem of her shirt, planning out her sentence structure. "I don't have… I don't have time, I know. I know I can't get far… nobody can, Miku. I understand that… and that is why I'm going to stay here and just wait… for Meiko, and for you, too."

"Speaking of Meiko… why are they getting Meiko involved in this whole incident? I thought Meiko had nothing to do with it, but they're claiming her to be your accomplice—"

"—What? What Meiko? What does Meiko have anything to do with this?" Rin took in a deep breath. "Miku, _what _are you talking about?"

"What? You mean… you mean you _don't_ know?"

"Know what?" Rin sighed. This was getting out of hand. There was something she needed to know… and she didn't know what it was. Len had refused to tell her, but… but Miku was different. Miku could give her answers. She _needed_ to know. "Tell me, Miku... Tell me."

"Meiko is... Meiko is going to be executed. The posters are everywhere in the village... I've personally seen one of them myself." A pause. "It didn't... it didn't look good. The situation, that it; it looks like they're going to punish Meiko for your crimes because you took flight. Well... at least that is what I think they're doing right now, since you don't even know about it."

"They're going to... they're going to _execute_ Meiko? They're going to harm somebody who has completely no knowledge of the things _I_ have done? Are they insane? Are they... _what_ are they doing?"

"Rin—"

"—Miku… tell me everything. Tell me the details. I _need_ to know."

* * *

When Len had returned from his little short trip outside, Rin had been gone… and it had only been less than an hour before it happened.

Needless to say, he was furious. He was burning with raw anger, in fact—where had that little fool wandered off to? He had given her specific instructions for her to stay still and keep her movements to a minimum, but she hadn't listened to him, and had even done what he had specifically asked her _not_ to.

A small possibility crawled up to his mind—what if she was taken away by those two clowns?

Why was he so darn worried about her, anyway? What was this strange feeling that was bubbling up deep inside of him? What was… what was this warmth?

With a sigh, he pushed it away deep beneath his current thoughts. This was _ridiculous_. He actually felt sympathetic for that girl—that was why he had been so gentle with her… so soft with her. Yes… that was it. He merely pitied her plight.

That, and there was something… something that he had been curious about her from the start. Why was she, a mere human and nothing compared to the others of her kind, able to see him in the first place? Why _her_? Why not somebody else? And… and he was sure that only The Red Spade was capable of enabling those human to see him… but she hadn't been carrying it; she had lost it, and she had said so herself.

So, then, that brought another mystery up into his mind—_why_ was she still able to see him even after that piece of jewel had been lost from her possession?

He had gone near that stupid girl because she had that jewel. He suspected it right from the start, when she admitted that she could see him. That was also probably the only reason why she was still alive and breathing right now; he could have gone straight for the kill when he had first met her, but he didn't. He wanted to take a chance… he wanted to steal the jewel from her grasp.

He had been looking for that jewel for a long, long time… it had been something that he had sought for since he had set foot onto the lands of the earth. It was something precious to him, something that he couldn't live without.

He _had_ to have it.

Yet… it had gone missing. It was lost.

He didn't know where it was right now.

When Len turned around and broke into a run towards the village, convinced that those phonies had taken Rin away mercilessly while he was away, he knew that he had changed—_they_ had _all_ changed.

The reason… he wasn't so sure anymore.

* * *

(to be continued)

**Author's note: **Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter (or any other chapters). I wasn't really sure about this chapter - I didn't want to reveal everything yet, but I figured that it would be good to reveal the reason why Len has some hesitation about killing her in the first place :). It _is_ important for their development, after all.

Teaser now!

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"Stay back, Kagamine. This is for your own good... and for everyone's own good. This time, we are going to eradicate the real perpertrator behind everything that has happened here... and I promise you—you _will_ be safe and free of this demon as long as you don't get in our way."

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Review please!


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